Symbiotic
by ConstructiveWriter
Summary: In a different life Ash looks on his world from an unique perspective.
1. Chapter 1

A home burned.

A couple died.

A boy escaped.

* * *

Tree shadows danced back and forth in the flickering light of the flame held in the lead houndoom's mouth as he peered through the forest, eyes scanning the night for his quarry. Clouds drifted across a dark starlit sky, under a new moon heralding a blood-red dawn.

The lead houndoom could still smell the blood that he had taken that night, smell the smoke from the fire, smell the scent of terror and grief of the family who had briefly and vainly fought. Fought and died after they had refused to accept the demands of his master's master.

But it was the scent of statically charged wool and of a terrified child that he needed to find.

Behind him, more houndooms waited as his nose tasted the air, growling and pacing in anticipation for the renewed hunt. They looked like black dogs at first, but anything beyond a cursory would quickly reveal that to not be the case. After all, black dogs didn't have curved gray horns, three rib-like protrusions on their backs, nor long, whip-like tails ending in a point.

_This way_, the leader said, pointing to the south, where the trail of his prey diverged from the dirt road they had initially fled down.

_Away from Pallet Town? What do they hope to find out in the wilderness?_ Another houndoom asked.

_Maybe they panicked_, another growled. _And now that mareep is just running blind._

_That's probably the case_, the leader replied, thinking back on his many successful hunts where his quarry, whether human, pokémon, or animal, had panicked and, in doing so, had furthered their own demise. _But keep your nose and ears out. There's always a chance that that mareep has a plan._

The pack set out once more, silent and deadly as dark forms slipped between the dark pillars that were trees in the night. They tracked their prey by scent for another mile before the trail came to an end in a small clearing. Growling, the lead houndoom pawed at his face, wiping off an errant piece of sticky silk.

_Looks like there's a bug-type around here_, he said to the rest of the pack. _Tell me if you step on something sharp. Be ready to use fire._

_Who's making all that racket?_ A scratchy voice called out from the darkness. A yellow-brown bug-like pokémon, with a white horn and a curved stinger, crawled out of the darkness, their carapace covered in old and faded scars, and their head was drooped under the burden of their age. _Some of us are trying to sleep you know_.

The houndooms shared a glance.

_Has anyone else run by here?_ The leader asked the weedle_. A pokémon carrying a human child? There's been an abduction nearby._

_Oh, how horrid_, the weedle wheezed_. Was it a local child?_

_We didn't have time to find out_, the houndoom replied. When the weedle looked skeptical, the houndoom continued. _We're part of an experimental houndoom unit with the human police and they didn't really have time to brief us. Did you see anything?_

_How long ago was this?_ The weedle asked_. My memory's not what it used to be and it's been a busy day. It might still be summer, but you can never start preparing for hibernation too early, and there was this nice-_

_Maybe ten minutes ago. Did you or did you not see anything?_ The female houndoom from before interrupted, growling.

_Ten minutes ago, what was I doing?_ The weedle pondered. _I think I was sleeping when there was this noise…. Now that you mention it, the noise might have been a crying child… hmmmm, where did it go…..._

_Hurry up! _Growled the lead houndoom. After a moment he added, _A human child is in danger._

_A child in danger, we can't have that now can we_, the weedle replied. _Hmmm…... I think they went south of here._

_Thank you_, the lead houndoom huffed, adding _about time you senile old…._ under his breath. _Move out!_ he called out to his pack and they obeyed, heading south once more.

However, just before they left the clearing the old weedle spoke up again.

_By the way, why would the Ketchum family's mareep abduct their son?_ he asked innocently.

The houndooms froze in their tracks, a sudden tension filling the air.

The leader of the pack turned back to glare at the weedle, his pack moving into position to surround the weedle. Hackles were raised, fangs were bared, and fiery sparks began to leak out of their mouths. Arid, choking, foul-smelling smoke filled the air, as did the constant growling of the pack. Snapping and snarling they started to advance, malevolent dark shapes in the night, lit by the orange hellfire carried in their mouths.

_Shoulda kept playing dumb old bug,_ their leader growled out.

_You certainly made it easy. 'We're an experimental unit with the human police'- please, I was not hatched yesterday,_ the weedle snorted in response. _By the egg of Mew who did you think you could manage to fool with that line? And while you are explaining that, would you also care to explain the fire north of here, the one that woke me up?_

_Where are they?_ Their leader growled, teeth and horns lit by fiery sparks leaking from his mouth and drifting skyward. _Tell me and maybe we'll go easy on you._

_Oh, really now_, the weedle said, eyes scanning the group_. I see that you and your comrades are operating under a significant misapprehension. Pocket Watch, if you would care to enlighten them?_

Translucent panes of light shot up between the trees, surrounding the clearing.

_If one of the present company can manage to educate me as to what is happening, then maybe I will be the one who will show mercy to you_, the weedle said, voice lowering into a growl as he spoke. _Now-_

The lead houndoom, acting on instinct, didn't bother waiting until the weedle was done talking before he attacked. Orange light flared in the night. Flames crackled and a lance of fire shot out of his mouth.

But the weedle was moving even before the houndoom had finished opening his mouth. He rolled to the side, strands of silk wrapping around his horn. The weedle coiled his body, and then launched himself upward, pulling a line of silk to the snapping point as he went.

When that strand snapped hundreds of other strands were loosed, whipping out of the surrounding forest and off of the ground, lashing the assembled hell hounds. Houndooms yelped as they felt hundreds of tiny pricks, and stabs; hundreds of poisoned pins and barbs had been embedded into the silk.

_Ten minutes was more than enough time to prepare for the arrival of you miscreants_, the weedle said as he landed.

_You sonna of-_ the female houndoom growled, staggering as the poison entered her veins and ate away at her life. _I'll kill you-_

A barrage of needles took her life and smashed her body into the barrier around the clearing.

_Now, before you expire, would anyone like to give me the truth? The first one to speak up will receive an antidote and a chance at survival_, the weedle said, a tight smile evident in his voice despite his hidden mouth.

_Screw-_ Another barrage of needles flew through the night and another houndoom suddenly died.

_Any takers? Really, no one? I guess I can praise your loyalty if not your intelligence. No need to dilly-dally in that case._ Yelping and whining the houndooms began to die as more needles shot out, spearing the already dying pokémon. Within ten seconds there was nothing but broken bodies, silk, and needles.

The barriers came down and a hypno joined the weedle in the clearing.

_Are they all dead Pocket Watch?_ the weedle asked of the hypno. The hypno briefly touched a finger to its forehead and then nodded.

_Their minds are gone. They're dead Poison Lance_, Pocket Watch replied.

_We will need to, appropriately enough, burn the bodies_, Poison Lance said. _But that will have to wait until we've finished attending to Mareep and Ash._

_I've patched up the mareep's wounds_, Pocket Watch replied, _but I don't know any healing moves, and I never learned much about how to treat someone beyond the basics of first aid. Do you know of anyone around here that can do better?_

_I am afraid not_, the weedle sighed. _Convey me, would you? I'm not as swift as I once was. _

The hypno held out an arm in response and the weedle jumped on it. The hypno then went into the forest, jogging while taking care not to jostle his passenger.

They continued in that manner for several more minutes before coming to another clearing, this one covered in String Shot silk, with a small white silk hut at the center. Poison Lance jumped down from Pocket Watch's arm and the two of them headed into the hut.

Within they found a wounded pokémon, with blue skin, a large amount of fluffy white-grey wool, a yellow and black banded tail ending in an orange sphere, and a yellow and black banded horn on either side of its head. It was the Ketchum family mareep, covered in burns, and with a large gash on her side, held shut with yet more silk.

A little boy with black hair and amber eyes lay on her flank, head and hands buried in her wool. The boy had no wounds, but still shook every now and then. His face was a mess of snot and dried tears. He was wearing a red one-piece footed pajama covered in soot and a stain on one sleeve that might have been someone else's blood.

Poison Lance quickly set about to weaving a small blanket with String Shot, while Pocket Watch knelt down beside the boy and mareep, laying his hands on their heads.

_Can you wake her up?_ Poison Lance asked. _We need information so that we know what to do with the boy._

_There's little chance of her lasting the night if I do that_, Pocket Watch answered.

_There was little hope of her lasting the night in the first place if I remember your earlier diagnosis_, Poison Lance replied, settling the silk blanket over the boy. _And she should have the chance to give her farewells to the boy._

_He won't understand._

_It is not required that he does._

Pocket Watch sighed, and the hand on the mareep's head glowed briefly. Then the sheep-like pokémon's head lifted and her eyes opened.

_Are they-_ the electric type began.

_Your pursuers have been disposed of_, Poison Lance answered. _The boy is safe now._

_Good_, Mareep said, shivering.

_We need to ask you, do you know why they were after you?_ Poison Lance asked. _Why did they attack the Ketchums?_

_I don't know_, she replied, still shivering as she thought about the horrible night. _I was sleeping in Ash's room when the doorbell rang. I was confused about why someone would be there so late, so I looked out the window and there were all these pokémon…. Mostly houndooms, but there were some there that I didn't recognize. _

_So, _she went on,_ I grabbed Ash and took him downstairs. There was this man in the entryway, I didn't get a good look at him, and my trainer and his wife were talking with him, and then there was yelling, and then-and then._ Tears began to leak out of her eyes.

_He ordered his pokémon to attack, and none of my comrades were out of their balls, and now everyone but Ash is dead_, she went on, voice growing into a low wail. _I couldn't do anything but take Ash and run…_

_It's alright, he's safe now_, Pocket Watch said, gently rubbing her head. _Do you know who the Ketchum's next of kin is? Or any close relatives that we can take the boy to?_

_I know he has some family, but I don't really know who or where they are_, Mareep replied_. It's just- just-_

_I understand_, Pocket Watch said gently as Mareep's head began to droop. _I think you should say good-night to the boy and then you need to go back to sleep._

_You mean say good-bye_, Mareep forced her head up as she spoke. _I'm- well, I'm pretty sure I'm dying._

_The odds are not in your favor_, Poison Lance replied. _Still, it is best to make your peace with the boy before you must struggle with your ill-fortune._

Mareep nodded and then turned to Ash.

_I'm sorry I couldn't do better by you_, she said. _But I'm glad that you're at least safe for the moment. I'm glad that you found my wool comfortable during the nights. I hope you grow up to have a great heart._ She gently nuzzled the side of his face, small silent tears falling from her eyes as she did so_. _

_I wish- I wish I could have made it so your parents were there to see it. Good-night and_, she shook with a silent sob, _and good-bye Ash. I'll probably be with your parents and my comrades, returned to the First Spark, soon. We all loved you._

She lay her head back down. Pocket Watch once more put his hand on her head and used his powers to help her sleep again.

_I'll go take care of the bodies_, Pocket Watch said, standing back up_. We need to do it before their masters find out what happened._

_I will stand vigil over these two_, Poison Lance replied_. Maybe Cresselia's mercy will finally start shining tonight and both of those two will be able to greet the dawn._

_It's possible_, Pocket Watch answered, _but it's a new moon tonight_.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Magnive for beta-reading.

Also posting this on AO3. I'll have the URL for that in the next chapter

Touched up as of 4/13


	2. Chapter 2

Mareep did not greet the dawn.

Poison Lance and Pocket watch buried her in the morning, under the shadow of a tall elm tree. Little Ash watched and cried, uncomprehending of what was happening and what had happened.

Poison Lance gathered some berries and fruit that were safe for humans, mashed them up, and then began to try and feed the child. Pocket Watch began tearing the silk structures in the clearing, using his powers to wad up the material and bury it as well.

_You know, when you offered to let me stay with you this winter_,Pocket Watch said while he worked, _this isn't the sort of situation I had in mind. I thought we'd sit around and reminisce about Lucas and the old days. Not have to deal with an orphan and a murderous organization of some sort._

_Ah, but orphans and murderous organizations would have fit right in during the old days with Lucas_, Poison Lance replied, pushing some more berry mush at Ash. _The only thing that has really changed is that now we are so much stronger than we were back then._

_We're also older, more tired, and we're missing several friends_, Pocket Watch shot back. _I really wish Lucas was still alive. He'd at least be able to talk to the people involved._ The hypno grinned. _I also wish that the Witch of the North Sky was still alive…._

_That is a horrible joke to keep making about a ghost-type pokémon_, Poison Lance replied, though there was a slight tremble that might have betrayed some laughter. _Next time I see her I'll have to mention that you're still making it after all these years._

_She knows I'd never quit_, Pocket Watch said. His grin faded_. Still, what are we going to do about the kid? Should we just turn him over to the authorities?_

_No_, Poison Lance shook his head. _There is too much that we do not know about the situation. They may have been compromised or deceived by whomever was behind the murders. You and I will have to investigate before we decide on our final course of action._

_By we of course you mean me, given that I can read minds, and you can't_, Pocket Watch said. _And someone will have to take care of the child._

_I know some pokémon families we can trust him with for a few hours_, Poison Lance said, still trying to feed the child, who was slowly coming around to the idea of eating the berry mush. _And I should be there in case of misfortune. And you have had the unfortunate habit of missing a key detail on many an occasion._

_Never going to let that go, are you_, Pocket Watch sighed. _Alright, let's find those babysitters, and figure out which humans we can dump the kid on._

_And then we shall go visit the Ketchum house_, Poison Lance glared into the distance. _We need to witness what we can regarding this atrocity._

* * *

Broken and grey spears of wood stood out from the wreckage of the Ketchum home, now a charred black landscape covered with flakes of gray ash like a cruel parody of winter. Yellow and black police tape surrounded the ruined structure, and uniformed men and women combed through the wreckage, accompanied by red and black, tiger-dog like pokémon, growlithes and arcanines. There was an ambulance parked nearby, with two filled body bags on stretchers.

Pocket Watch and Poison Lance lurked nearby, at the edge of the forest around the property. They watched, hidden from notice by the hypno's powers, as the police bagged things and pokémon sniffed. A man in a white coat, with brown-gray hair, and a face with chiseled features, sat staring, uncomprehending, at two body bags.

_I was hoping for an opportunity to look through the scene of the crime unmolested, but it would appear that it is impossible now_, Poison Lance said.

_We can always take a look at their findings_, Pocket Watch suggested.

_I am still unable to read_, Poison Lance confessed, _have you learned at some point?_

_No_.

_Then how will we decipher their reports?_ Poison Lance asked.

_I was just planning on reading their minds_, _instead of their reports,_ Pocket Watch answered_, and see if anyone learned anything interesting. Or if someone is hiding something…..._

_It was awfully suspicious that there was no sign of a response last night_, Poison Lance agreed, eyes sweeping over those present. _Any active psychic countermeasures?_

_A few abras_, Pocket Watch answered. _Basic protections. Nothing I can't slip past._

A turquoise haired woman in a police uniform walked over to the man in the white coat and put a hand on his shoulder.

_I see there's a member of the Jenny clan out here as well_, Poison Lance said. _Do you know if they ever figured out the mutation that keeps their appearance so consistent?_

_Not now, I'm trying to concentrate_, Pocket Watch replied, squinting at the man in the white coat. _That man has good defenses. I have to be careful or he'll realize what I'm up to._

_Oh, he is a psychic?_

_No, just well trained_, Pocket Watch put two fingers to his forehead. _Seems like it's the old-fashioned Kanto League methods. Do you know if any significant League personnel live around here?_

_I have not been paying attention to the local human gossip and the wild pokemon have not mentioned such a thing either_, Poison Lance leaned forward to get a closer look at the man. _Judging by his current behavior, it would seem that he was close to the Ketchums, but he may be putting on an act. We would need to interview the people of Pallet Town to anything resembling an accurate conclusion._

_I'm going to come back to his mind later_, Pocket Watch said_. I'd like to scan the other humans first in case he catches me._

The two waited in silence as the mental scans continued. People continued to work, speaking only in whispers. And the man in the white coat sat staring at the bodies as the sun moved across the sky.

_This one's suspicious_, Pocket Watch said, breaking the silence.

_Which one?_ Poison Lance asked_. I am unable to read minds as you are aware._

_That one_, Pocket Watch pointed to a brown-haired man in a police uniform. _He's got some defense training as well, but it's not any form I recognize._

_Can you get past it?_

_Only one way to find out._ Pocket Watch once again put two fingers on his forehead and began to glow with a faint purple light. Minutes passed with agonizing slowness as the hypno worked.

_He knows the boy survived_, Pocket Watch growled. _Or at least that he was taken from the house. He knows and his- master? He's a human who calls the man he works for his master? Well, his master wants the boy._

_Does he want the boy as a consolation prize, or was Ash the initial goal of the operation?_ Poison Lance asked.

_Let's see if I can find out_, Pocket Watch's glow increased in intensity. Another minute passed and Pocket Watch began to sweat. Poison Lance tensed, ready for a fight. Suddenly the target quit working and started looking around.

_He noticed me_, Pocket Watch hissed.

_Crush his mind if you must_, Poison Lance said, glaring at the man. _I want whatever answers he has._ Pocket Watch nodded and the man froze as the hypno attacked his mind.

It was an invisible assault on the foundations of his being, stripping away lies and defenses. Psychic power slowly began to take everything and leave him with nothing but bared memory and thought. Animal panic and shame coursed through his mind, even as he tried to marshal his defenses. He began to shake and shiver, and soon, real police officers noticed his odd behavior, moving closer to check on him.

#_You __**will**__ reveal the truth to me_# Pocket Watch's thought echoed in Poison Lance's mind as the hypno clenched his fist, the air around the hypno gaining a strange weight. The man appeared to let out a whimper of pain, inaudible to the hidden pokemon, but not to the humans.

_The others will realize what is happening soon_, Poison Lance hissed. _Hurry before they locate us!_

But before anyone else could do anything, the brown-haired man drew a knife from his boot. He hesitated for a second and then drove the blade into his abdomen. People and pokemon flinched and screamed. The man yanked the blade out of his stomach and then jammed the knife into his own throat, crimson life-blood spurting out before the man fell to the ground.

_Getting us out of here_, Pocket Watch growled. _Damned fanatic._

The world blinked out of existence for the briefest of moments and then the duo was somewhere else.

* * *

The pair re-appeared deeper into the forest with a pop of displaced air and then immediately teleported away once more to shake any potential pursuers. They repeated this process several more times, before arriving approximately half a kilometer away from their final destination. Pocket Watch looked around to see if they had been followed and then set off at a brisk walk.

_What information were you able to glean from that human's mind?_ Poison Lance inquired.

_Relevant information? Not nearly enough_, Pocket Watch huffed. _He was skilled at mental dissembling. He was Unovian originally and whomever he worked for seemed to at least have a base there. Ash was the goal of their operation and he wasn't the first child that they targeted, they managed to kidnap three others that were like him in some way._

_What was the quality that they shared? What uniqueness singled these unfortunate children out for abduction?_

_The man didn't know_, Pocket Watch said, glare on his face. _Or if he did, then he hid the knowledge well. There was fourth child, separate from Ash and the other three, meant for some other purpose. I don't know what his master intended with that child either._

_The seizure of young children as if they were common property_, Poison Lance shook his head. _Team Rocket never stooped to such levels, not even in the old days when they were poised to consume Kanto and the surrounding regions. What new foulness have we come upon in my old age?_

There was a brief pause as the two walked through the sun-dappled forest, surrounded by greenery and the sound of leaves gently rustling in the slightest of breezes. Smells gently drifted in with the breeze, scents of leaves, and grass, and of wildflowers in full bloom.

_I remember those times_, Pocket Watch eventually said with a frown, breaking the brief silence. _And I think you're forgetting that just because Team Rocket didn't commit this particular awful act, it doesn't mean that they weren't as bad as the people who did. Don't you remember how bad it was back then? How bad they were?_

_I mainly remember fighting alongside Lucas and our comrades; the places we saw, the people we met, who and what we fought for, the sweet taste of victory, and the bittersweet taste of farewell. It might be that I simply neglected to commit the darker things to memory with the same care as I did for the memories I cherished. _Poison Lance confessed.

_I remember the darkness in those days well_, Pocket Watch said, looking down as he walked through the sunlit forest, crossing from sunshine to shadow to sunshine again. _Don't you remember the desperate fights where we couldn't afford to lose and we still lost? Or the constant fear that Team Rocket would steal some of our comrades and we wouldn't see them again?_

_At least_, the hypno continued with an angry snort, _unless it was some fight where we would find them abused and twisted, now on the other side, with little chance of being able to rescue them? You don't remember the constant deaths of people and pokémon?_

_I do, but not as well as I remember the thrill of taking a squad of Rockets by surprise, cutting them down as they planned to attack a League medical outpost_, Poison Lance answered, eyes unfocused as his mind gazed into the distant past. _Or the final battle at Saffron City when we helped to encircle the Rocket forces and hold them in place long enough for Surge and the League's Electric Type Artillery Division to get into position to finish them. Or the bittersweet memory of how we comforted Lucas after he found members of the family that rejected him dead and wearing Rocket uniforms, laying in the destruction after the battle and we understood that it was finally over._

_Bittersweet_, Pocket Watch huffed. _Yes, that particular time when we comforted Lucas it was bittersweet. Other times were just bitter. Like when we had to comfort him for the lovers he lost. Do you remember how he just lay there, crying for days, after he heard that Mark was incinerated by a Hyper Beam? Or years later, when he had moved on, how Giselle died in his arms, while we and her team fought off the Rocket pokemon all around us? Do you remember how long it took for us to get him to move again after that? How he was never quite the same? And what about the friends we all lost, people and pokémon?_

_I constantly think of them I must confess_, Poison Lance answered with a sigh, voice growing thick with emotion. _Nostalgia is a most potent drink, its' bittersweet taste so intoxicating. It is easy to lose hours and days when imbuing such an elixir_, Poison Lance answered looking into the sky. _And I am hopelessly addicted._

_Then do you remember how they killed Plush? How they had to slit his throat and send poison attacks directly into the wound? _Pocket Watch clenched his fist. _Even then he didn't go down easy, snorlaxes never do. Or how Blaziken saved us from that ambush in the mountains at the cost of her own life? Or when those Rocket magmars got the drop on us and Breloom burned?_

_No_, Pocket Watch growled, continuing. _Just because Team Rocket never kidnapped human children like this, it doesn't mean that things were better then. They were just as evil as the monsters who attacked the Ketchums. Nothing's any worse._

_Oh? I must disagree. I think times were better back in those days. Even with all the tragedy and pain, in both defeat and triumph, loss and gain, love and grief, there was one very important thing that this current age lacks._

_What?_

_All of us were together; Lucas and all of our comrades, and our friends_, Poison Lance answered_. Perhaps I may be letting that particular joy tint my perception of both my recollections and of the present. But it is also true that such happiness is gone and I would gladly return to those dark times if it meant I could partake in that joy once more._

_I can understand that, but it's selfish_, Pocket Watch replied as they passed through another patch of sunlight_. Lucas wanted to fight for a better world and by some miracle, we achieved one. It's not perfect, but it was enough for him to be at peace when he died. Going back would mean undoing all that he accomplished and that's one thing that he could never accept._

_Such cruel irony_, Poison Lance shook his head_. A human with such a great figurative heart taken from this poor world by a weak physical heart._

There was silence for a brief time as they continued walking. And then Pocket Watch spoke up again.

_Well, he was certainly a very good man_, Pocket Watch said_. But, a great figurative heart? Let's be real, he could be an absolute ass at times. Lucas just absolutely hated some people for no reason sometimes. He was even cruel to Mark at first-_

_Mark gave as good as he got_, Poison Lance interrupted, glaring at Pocket Watch.

_But it was usually Lucas who started their fights, at least until the hate sex started_, Pocket Watch retorted. _Yes, he apologized to Mark after they started dating, and they eventually had a happy and healthy relationship, but still…... Oh, and remember how he used to get when someone beat him to the best spots for a tent or a bedroll?_

_Lucas had to struggle with his health problems. It made it difficult to get a full night's rest_, Poison Lance said defensively. _He was always out of sorts when he knew that the upcoming slumber would be subpar. Anyone would have struggled with such issues. And what is with these attacks on Lucas's character? You loved him just as well as I, or so I thought._

_I did and still do_, Pocket Watch answered. _But the way you talk about him makes him seem flawless. You're glossing over those problems, big and little, that helped to make him who he was. It's unfair to him and his memory. And to the rest of our comrades. Some of us loved our trainer all the more for his flaws._

_He was flawed_, Poison Lance agreed_. But his flaws seem so small to the other things I can recall. I remember him as the boy so happy to catch a weedle as his first pokemon. The boy who wanted to make friends, but who was constantly held back by a failing body and a toxic family. A boy who helped us to become strong. A man who constantly put himself at risk for people and pokemon, yes, even those people he hated for no good reason. The man with a secret shyness that he could not quite hide from his lovers. The man who was constantly tired, but refused to rest until everything was taken care of._

There was another brief silence as the two walked on, lost in memory.

_I wish he were here_¸ Pocket Watch sighed. _He'd know what to do now_.

_Lucas is gone, but we remain_, Poison Lance replied. _We can make his memory proud. Now was there anything else you managed to get from the mind of the miscreant at the Ketchum house?_

_Not much. He was sent ahead to infiltrate the Pallet Town Police Department a few months ago in preparation for this,_ Pocket Watch answered. _He was there to make sure that there wasn't any interference last night. That man had also done some work in most of the other Allied Regions. I couldn't get any names out of him, either for people or organizations._

_Were you able to find out if his master had any more forces out here?_ Poison Lance asked.

_No, I didn't. I also didn't find anything out about their future plans._

_What about the man in the white coat? Were you able to find out anything about him?_

_Again, nothing_, Pocket Watch said. _I suspect that he's a high-ranking Leaguer of some sort, but I couldn't tell if his apparent grief was genuine or not. For all I know he might be the master that the dead man was serving._

_A human high in the League ranks would be in a position to easily operate in many of the Allied Regions_, Poison Lance mused_. And they would also be the kind of individual that other humans might refer to as 'master'. Still, that does not mean that he is our culprit._

_We don't know if he's on our side or their side_, Pocket Watch sighed.

_Oh? We already have a 'side'?_ Poison Lance would have raised an eyebrow if he had possessed them. _I was unaware that this had become an us versus them situation. Are we to be engaged in a conflict with unknown enemies from here on out?_

_It became an 'us vs them' situation when they killed a family and tried to kidnap a child in our general vicinity_, Pocket Watch snorted in retort. _Don't act like you weren't thinking the same thing._

_I must confess that the thought had crossed my mind_, Poison Lance answered. _But it would have been rude to assume that you had committed so readily._

_It wasn't how I was planning to spend the year_, Pocket Watch said with a small, careful shrug to avoid dislodging the weedle on his shoulder. _But I'm in._ He pushed some branches out of the way as they came to a small collection of bushes that was their destination.

A brow duck-like pokémon with a leek, a farfetch'd, was fussing over Ash while two tiny vulpixes romped around in the bushes. Nearby a white furred pokémon, with nine long tails, a ninetails, was sleeping, head on her tails, curled in a tight ball. She woke up when Pocket Watch and Poison Lance got closer, eyes opening to calmly watch the pair.

_Did the boy give you any trouble?_ Poison Lance asked, jumping down from Pocket Watch.

_No, he was asleep most of the time_, Farfetch'd answered. _The kids were fascinated by him; they haven't seen any humans yet. Kept them out of trouble for a few hours._

_It was nice to be able to grab a nap_, Ninetails added and then gave a small yawn_. Did you find out what you needed to, Poison Lance?_

_We found a misbegotten wretch who committed suicide rather than giving up sufficient information_, Poison Lance replied, standing on the side of a tree_. And we left with more questions then we started with._

_Oh dear_, the Ninetails said with a yawn, standing up. _Do you need to go again? Do you need us to watch over Ash some more? We would be happy to._

_No, I don't think we can go again_, Pocket Watch answered, leaning on the tree next to Poison Lance. _They'll know that a psychic was spying on them. They'll beef up their defenses. I blew our only chance._

_That is untrue_, Poison Lance said. _While we could have been more fortunate, or maybe have waited until we could extract the man from the police-_

_We didn't know if he was going to disappear soon_, Pocket Watch interjected. _He may have vanished once he found whatever he was looking for._

_Regardless, we did learn one very significant fact_, Poison Lance continued_. They were after Ash himself. His parents were collateral damage._

_Which means whoever it was will come after him again_, Farfetch'd said, smacking his leek into his wing like it was a riding crop. He started looking around everywhere_. Crap. Is it safe here? Are they currently-_

_They currently have no clue where he is_, Pocket Watch reassured the bird-like pokemon. _That I could also glean from the man's mind._

_However, they may start searching soon-_ Poison Lance began.

_Maybe not, the police are riled up now_, Pocket Watch interrupted_. And the mole in the force just committed suicide…._

_The one mole that we were aware of_, Poison Lance shot back. _If there is another one, or if the people behind this act have some sort of control over the police force, then they could use the police as a proxy to search this forest for Ash._

_Well, then we at least have a few hours while they organize things_, Pocket Watch replied, before turning to the other two adult pokemon. _We'll be out of your hair by then. You, uh, also might want to relocate, just in case._

_That shouldn't be a problem_, Farfetch'd said, looking over at Ninetails. _We've got a couple of nests for the kids in this forest. Don't want to linger too long in one place and attract predators._

_Or we could just kill the predators_, the Ninetails shot back in a bored tone. _And then eat them._

_Please don't talk about that. Ninetails, I love you, but we both know that if it wasn't for my good looks there's a chance I might have been on your menu_, Farfetch'd replied. _You can keep the kids safe by killing things that want to eat them. I'll keep them safe by hiding them._

_Well, at least in this case you two should hide_, Pocket Watch interjected_. You're dealing with a human organization that seems to have a lot of attack pokemon._

_Or the human police who could also overwhelm you with numbers_, Poison Lance added.

_Fine_, Ninetails sighed, laying down again. _I'll just take a brief nap before we move._

_Anyway, we need to figure out what we're going to do for Ash_, Pocket Watch said_. Long-term and short-term._

_It might be prudent to give him to an orphanage_, Poison Lance suggested_. If we find one far enough away from here there will be nothing to connect this human child with the Ketchum family. Unless, by some strange happenstance, they have the DNA records for the Ketchums, but we can always scout things out-_

_There's a big problem with that plan_, Pocket Watch said, sitting down on the grass.

_What is the problem with my suggestion?_

_I'll answer your question with another question. How did they find Ash in the first place?_ Pocket Watch asked.

_What do you mean- Wait, I see what you are saying_, Poison Lance's brows knit in concentration?

_Huh? You lost me_, Farftech'd, who had been following the conversation, interrupted with a confused expression.

_Whoever killed the Ketchums was after Ash specifically, because of some unknown quality that they thought he possessed_, Poison Lance explained.

_Okay, and?_ Ninetails asked, opening one eye.

_How did they track this trait to Ash in the first place?_ Poison Lance asked_. And can they repeat the process?_

_I think we can assume that it takes a little bit of time at least_, Pocket Watch said. _Or they might've already arrived here._

_But unless we are able to discover what uniqueness that Ash has that drew them to him in the first place and the method, they used to locate him, then we cannot simply place him in an orphanage and leave_, Poison Lance went on. _If you are willing Pocket Watch, the two of us could guard the orphanage for a time-_

_Even if we did that, we'd be putting all the other humans in this hypothetical orphanage at risk_, Pocket Watch retorted_. I don't feel like having dead human children on my conscience._

_Fine. If not an orphanage then we could find a human family looking to adopt. There would be fewer humans in the crossfire-_

_So, we pick a random family to kill? Nope._

_I think between the two of us we could guard three people without issue_, Poison Lance replied. _Unless-_

_And if they have more children? Or they move somewhere that's hard to guard? What will we do then?_ Pocket Watch shot back.

_Alright, fine, what about finding a region that uses a foster system- No, that would have the same inherent problems as the other possibilities._ Poison Lance frowned. _Hmm… Maybe there's a member of a region's Elite Four equivalent looking to adopt… No that is a patently ridiculous solution._

_Glad I didn't even need to get started on what's wrong with that idea_, Pocket Watch muttered.

_Ash would be in the public eye too much if we tried that_, Poison Lance said. _And how would we be able to follow them if they specialize in anything other than bug-types or psychic-types? Maybe if we could construct disguises…_

_Yes, because that's the difficult part, not, you know, manipulating someone on the level of the Elite Four into doing what we want_, Pocket Watch said, rolling his eyes.

_Well, if we could get the correct paperwork-_

_Poison Lance, you're losing yourself to your 'overly complicated plan' bad habit again. We don't need a catastrophe on the level of the Ninja Mansion Incident again_, Pocket Watch sighed.

_Flygirl will never let me live that down_, Poison Lance winced_. Very well, new plan. We find an organization that makes use of child soldiers and infiltrate them in order to-_

_That's just a more complicated version of what was probably about to happen to Ash!_ Pocket Watch objected.

_Fine, fine, we'll find a traveling circus and disguise him as a pokemon-_

_Do I even need to say anything at this point?_

_We launch an expedition to the distant south and locate the Temple of Mew-_

_It hurts me to think that you're being serious._

_Fine!_ Poison Lance shouted. _We can raise the child ourselves!_

A minute of silence followed his outburst.

_Actually_, Poison Lance went on, nodding to himself, _that might work…..._

_No, it wouldn't_, Pocket Watch replied. _There are so many problems with that idea. For one, how will we deal with the humans tracking him?_

_We can contact Flygirl, get her to help us. It is as you said, whatever method our enemies have used to locate Ash, there is evidence that it takes time to use. If we are constantly mobile then it will be much more difficult for them to track Ash down._

_Okay, we can keep Ash safe physically that way_, Pocket Watch agreed, rolling his eyes once more. _But what about his mental health. Humans need human interaction when growing up and neither of us can give him that._

_Oh, but we can provide human interaction indirectly!_ Pocket Watch replied, voice growing more excited. _Between the two of us, we can sneak Ash into daycares and preschools-_

_Putting them at risk-_

_Not if we keep moving! _Poison Lance's voiced indicated a manic grin even if his hidden mouth didn't show it_. Whoever was behind the attack did not just have a group of psychic pokemon teleport in and grab Ash. Not only that, but they had to prepare for their operation. They had to send someone to infiltrate the police for over a month before they could act._

_So?_ Pocket Watch asked.

_Based on what little we know of them, I think if we do not linger in a location, we should be able to stay ahead of them_, Poison Lance answered, practically bouncing with excitement.

_If you're wrong? What if they just didn't have a teleport and grab squad available because it's busy with something else? Or maybe they just were willing to try and operate secretly because it was easier for them instead of because it was necessary?_ Pocket Watch countered. _You can't assume that they won't change the way they operate._

_But, if we stay with Ash like we were going to do in our other plans-_

_Your other plans you mean._

_Then we can mitigate that risk by staying close to Ash at all times_, Poison Lance continued, practically bouncing with excitement. _Ideally, you would be around Ash at all times in order to teleport him out of danger, but Flygirl would also suffice for extraction._

_Who still hasn't agreed to help with this- _Pocket Watch added in a long-suffering tone of voice.

_And if we stick to places with a significant League presence, a strong police force, or a powerful defense system, we can reduce the risk even more_, Poison Lance went on. _If our foes dared to act openly in such an environment, we stand a good chance of destroying them._

_Except a lot of those places happen to be big cities and neither of us are the sort of wild pokemon who inhabit big cities_, Pocket Watch shot back. _That would be a problem, especially if we're trying to keep a low profile._

_Fair enough_. Poison Lance conceded. _However, there are border towns and frontier towns that fit that criterion. We can still conceal ourselves in the wilds._

_You still have to actually ask Flygirl to help with this mad scheme_, Pocket Watch pointed out. _And you haven't actually asked if I'm willing to put a decade of my life, instead of a year, into this mad plan._

_Are you saying that you will not take part?_

_Don't go putting words into my mouth_, Pocket Watch huffed, crossing his arms and looking away_. I'll help. It would just be nice if you asked instead of assuming._

_Wonderful. Then all that is left to do is to contact Flygirl to see if she is willing to assist us_, Poison Lance said, actually bouncing a little with excitement.

Farfetch'd, who had been silent for a while, looked over at Ninetails.

_Remember how much simpler it was for us to get some kids?_ He asked his mate.

_Well, we were fine with our kids being pokemon,_ she replied. _I imagine humans are much more complicated._

* * *

AN: I am amused by the few reviews that asked for me to spare mareep. I've got a 63,000 word buffer at this point. Fate is set in stone.

Of course you won't be seeing that writing for a long time. I'm going to aim for one chapter a week (of about 3,000-8,000 words) from here on out so I can maintain at least a 50,000 word lead. This means that there's far less chance of me needing to revise or edit a previously released chapter.

I'd like to thank Magnive for beta reading this chapter as well.

:AN


	3. Chapter 3

A large brown bird-like pokémon flew through the air, her large horn-like facial feathers ruffling in the breeze as she soared over the ocean. Her eyes were on a lush green island ahead. The noctowl came down to perch on bent palm tree by a beach, surrounded by the salty smell of the sea and the lull of gently lapping waves.

_Let's see- Am I fixin' for fish or coconuts? _She asked herself, rubbing her belly with one wing. _Or both? Ah, I miss havin' a trainer. He coulda made me a coconut fish dish. Well, no use cryin' over spilt milk. Just gotta figure out what I'm doin' for dinner._

She sat there, pondering for a moment as the tropical sun shone down, and krabbies scuttled across the nearby beach. And then she fell off the palm tree squawking.

#_Flygirl, is this you? # _A familiar voice spoke within the confines of her mind. #_I don't want to get the wrong noctowl again. #_

_#A bit of warnin' next time# _Flygirl thought back. # _You darn did scare me out of a year of my life you yellow bellied shrink. #_

_#Sorry#, _the hypno apologized via telepathy, _#but it's urgent. #_

# _What's urgent enough to scare me half to death? #_

_# How would you like to assist with the adoption of a human child? #_

_# What you mean killin' some bad parents? # _Flygirl asked. _# Or arrangin' some sort of meeting? Seems like the sorta thing you could handle yourself, but if you need the help- #_

_#Let me rephrase that. How would you like to be one of three adopters for a human child? # _Pocket Watch asked.

Silence reigned for a minute

_# Okay, what have y'all gotten yourselves into? # _Flygirl asked. # _And why did you make the mistake of listenin' to Poison Lance again? #_

_# I never said Poison Lance was involved. #_

_# You're kiddin', right? # _Flygirl mentally snorted. _# This has him written all over it. Now give me an explanation and then I'll head on down to yell at you two in person. #_

* * *

_I'll kill 'em! I'll eat their eyeballs and let them wander blind in the night and then I'll scalp them-_

_Your passion is appreciated Flygirl, _Poison Lance interrupted, _but it is not required at this time._

They were gathered on a small island between Pallet Town and Cinnibar Island a few days after the murders. Pocket Watch had teleported Poison Lance and Ash to random locations around Pallet Town and Viridian City for a day in an attempt to throw off any pursuers, before beginning another series of teleportations to their actual destination.

Gentle rain pittered and pattered around them, dripping off of broad tropical leaves, as the four beings sheltered in a small cave. A small fire crackled in the center of the cave, where the three pokémon sat, while little Ash stared outside, seemingly fascinated by the rain.

_Why the eyeballs? _Pocket Watch asked, keeping one eye on Ash.

_Huh? _Flygirl looked over to the hypno, head tilted.

_Why do flying types always want to eat the eyeballs? _Pocket Watch clarified.

_They're soft, tasty, and easy to get at, _Flygirl explained. _You should try 'em sometime._

_No thanks, I'll stick to plants and psychic energy, _the hypno replied, turning slightly paler at the thought.

_You eat the dreams of others, but eyeballs are disgustin'? _Flygirl shook her head. _You've got skewed tastes._

_Fascinating as this discussion of culinary differences is, _Poison Lance interjected, _we have other matters to discuss._

_Right! The kid, _Flygirl said, turning to Poison Lance. _Quick question though. Why are you so bothered by this?_

_Why am I bothered by an atrocity? _Poison Lance replied, looking offended.

_Why you so bothered that you're willin' to spend a decade or two lookin' after this kid? _Flygirl clarified. _It's not the sorta thing I can see you doing._

_Now that you mention it, he did insist on being the one to fight the houndooms, _Pocket Watch mused. _Even though I know Miracle Eye and could have handled the fire types better. In retrospect, it seems a bit personal._

_Yes, I did want the satisfaction of personally crushing those misbegotten murderers, _Poison Lance admitted. _And it was not strictly a question of ethics. I knew the Ketchum family; many of the wild pokémon did. They were kind and charitable; they fed and cared for many wild pokémon without an ulterior motive. I myself spent many an hour conversing with members of Mister Ketchum's team over a good spinach salad._

The bug-type turned to look at Ash.

_I knew his mother well, she made sure to greet any visitor, human or pokémon, with kindness, _Poison Lance continued. _She was also an excellent cook-_

_That's the important thing, _Flygirl interjected.

_Mister Ketchum was a fine trainer, _Poison Lance continued, ignoring his comrade. _And little Ash was a delight when interacting with both his father's pokémon and with the wild pokémon. It does personally pain me to think that such an environment and the individuals_ _who created said environment are gone from this world. Kindness should be preserved, not destroyed out of callousness or greed. Our actions now may yet preserve some small vestige of that kindness._

_I hear ya, _Flygirl said, a pensive expression on her face. She sighed. _And here I was, enjoyin' a tropical retirement. Still, I won't lie and say that it's not good to see y'all again. I missed ya somethin' terrible to be honest._

_I- er, uh- well, I certainly have **some **fond memories of our time together, _Poison Lance replied.

_I won't torment you with all my blackmail material if that's what you're scared of, _Flygirl said smirking.

_Oh, thank you Cresselia, _Poison Lance breathed out a sigh of relief. _If that is the situation then it is honestly pleasant to see you again as well Flygirl._

_If only Plush were still alive, _the noctowl sighed. _He could be a bed for the kid. Or if Lucas were still here so he could figure out what to do with the kid._

_We've been saying that since we stumbled into this mess, _Pocket Watch said with a little laugh. _Still, if we do this right, we can do him proud. So, are you in?_

The flying type pokémon glanced over at the little boy, still entranced by the rain. She looked at him for a minute while the fire crackled quietly, the rain continued to pitter and patter, and wingulls cried in the distance.

_Poor thing. He's the sort we were always fightin' to save, isn't he? _Flygirl said. _I'd want someone to help my kids or Lucas's kids if he had any. So, I'll just have to help this kid instead. I'm in._

* * *

And so, the three pokémon began their work. Flygirl took care of long-range travel, carrying the other three over large distances. Pocket Watch took care of shorter distances, using teleportation for more precise travel. Poison Lance took care of handling Ash, using String Shot to create various toddler carriers. Ash, for his part, spent the time traveling looking down at the earth and ocean below, giggling as they passed through flocks of flying pokémon, and crying when they were forced to travel through clouds, mists, or fog.

Poison Lance also took care of creating shelter and gathering food for Ash while they traveled, while Flygirl fed herself and Pocket Watch stole food and clothes from human settlements when he could. Pocket Watch in turn took care of cleaning Ash and his clothes, and gently teaching him the basics of outdoor toilet training. Finally, Flygirl served as Ash's bed and blanket, being the only pokémon in the group with a warm outer layer.

And thus, they made their way from an island south of Pallet Town in Kanto to their first stop: Violet City in Johto, home of the Sprout Sages.

_Monks and mystics, dedicated to the co-existence of humans and pokémon, _Poison Lance had said when explaining his choice of destination. _The Sprout Sages should discourage our enemies from moving openly if they discover us. And yet it is a small enough city that there should be ample wilderness for us to hide in._

_Though their smallness may work against us, _Pocket Watch replied. _They're more likely to notice strangers. It will be harder to slip Ash into a daycare without someone eventually catching on._

_Oh, just eavesdrop on their thoughts, ya yellow snoop, _Flygirl added. _If one of them starts gettin' all suspicious we can just pick up and leave._

_Also, just something I thought of recently, _Pocket Watch continued. _Do they speak the same language in Johto as they do in Kanto?_

_What do you mean? _Flygirl asked, tilting her head. _Don't all humans just speak human?_

_No, unlike our method of communication, human speech is far more limited, _Poison Lance explained. _People from different places may use entirely different forms of speech and thus be unable to understand each other. However, it is not a problem in our situation. Most of the nearby regions used to be part of the same country so they all use the same language… to a greater or lesser extent. I do believe that some of the regions nearby, that did not used to be part of the country, have come to adopt the same language the present day._

_So that's one headache avoided, _Pocket Watch said. _Alright, now we just have to get him into daycare._

It was easier said than done. Violet City was more of a town than a city and thus not exactly overflowing with services. But after a few days of searching, Pocket Watch was able to locate a daycare that nobody important, dangerous, or inconvenient for their purpose had any contact with. Slowly he began making the preparations for Ash to join, hypnotizing the occasional worker into filling out paperwork with false information so that nobody would notice a discrepancy.

_We're going to need a name, _Pocket Watch said to the other two pokémon the night before Ash's first day at the daycare, as they sat around the forest under a waxing moon, while Ash slept in a bedroll of weedle silk. _Something for the staff to call him._

_He's got a name, Ash Ketchum, _Flygirl replied. _They can just use that._

_He needs a false name so that the people we're hiding from don't locate him, _Pocket Watch said, rubbing his head.

_False name? Huh? _Flygirl asked, tilting her head. _How does that work._

_Once again, human communication does not work in the same manner that ours does, _Poison Lance explained. _His parents called him Ash Ketchum, but he can conceivably go by any name given to him, just as we now go by the names Lucas gave to us._

_Wait, what? Isn't Flygirl just how humans say Chirps in the Night and Swoops in the Night? _Flygirl asked. _Doesn't it just sound different because it's a translation of a translation?_

_No, it actually means something more like 'Flying Girl' as a literal translation, _Poison Lance told her,_ but in context of a name for a pokémon who flies it means something more like 'Brave Female Pilot' or 'Beautiful Flier' or 'She Who is Joyous in Flight'._

_So, I've been usin' a false name this whole time, _Flygirl looked somewhere between upset and surprised, feathers ruffling.

_No, you've been using the name Lucas gave to you, _Pocket Watch added. _You think of yourself as Flygirl and so do others. A false name would be if he wanted to hide your real name from others so he'd call you something like, say, Chirpy for a short time, but then when the need passed, he'd call you Flygirl again._

_I guess that makes sense, _Flygirl said, feathers settling. _So, we're going to hide Ash Ketchum behind what name then?_

_It might not be good from him to have too many different names, _Pocket Watch cautioned. _There's a lot of things that go on when humans are this young, especially when it comes to language. We can probably get away with switching up last names, but his first name should be constant._

_Last name? _Flygirl asked.

_Family name, _Pocket Watch clarified. _Humans consider their family name to be part of their personal name for some reason._

_Okay, so his first name will have to be his name from us then, _Flygirl said, nodding to herself. _And we can use the last name to hide him._

_Hmmm, you know, you're on to something there, _Pocket Watch said after a few seconds of silence. _We should think about what his first name will be. Until he's safe, it's going to have to be the name humans know him by._

_Aaron, _Poison Lance said with no hesitation. _It will be Aaron._

_Why Aaron, _Pocket Watch asked.

_It was the name of one of Lucas's relative, _Poison Lance answered, _one of the few family members who supported our trainer. He also died young, fighting for the League before it was called such. It is not much, but I would like to give this tribute to the man._

_I can't think of anythin' better, _Flygirl said in agreement.

_Fine with me, _Pocket Watch agreed as well. _Since the last name doesn't matter, I'll just use the current season. Summer should be good this time._

_We do not want to fall into any unfortunate habits in regards to selecting last names for Ash, _Poison Lance cautioned. _We shall have to use a different device for selecting his next last name._

_Understood. But for now, I'll have the paperwork filled out as Aaron Summers._

* * *

The next day one Aaron Summers was delivered to a daycare.

At first the boy wouldn't stop crying at all the strange people trying to interact with him. He didn't stop until he found one of the daycare's pokémon, an old chansey. Only then did he quit crying and start playing.

Pocket Watch waited outside, using his powers to avoid perception, keeping a mental eye on everything in and around the daycare. Flygirl occasionally circled overhead, looking for anything that might be happening in the city that might have been of interest. Poison Lance was busy gathering food, trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong with their plan.

Ash spent his time cooing and babbling, toddling and playing, and bursting into a fit of crying that lasted an hour. Pocket Watch winced as he picked up empathetic impressions of the child's emotions. Ash might not have seen what happened to his parents, or have been old enough to even comprehend what happened, but he could still miss them.

He might never stop missing them, Pocket Watch mused. So much about how humans developed was strange to the hypno, how they started talking **after** they started learning. Ash might never be able to put the exact nature of his grief into words due to his tender age, but nonetheless it would always be a part of him. Pocket Watch had noticed that the child had been having nightmares; those awful dreams might accompany the boy for the rest of his life.

Pocket Watch put such thoughts aside and re-focused his attention on the daycare workers. He was loathe to alter their minds any more than he already had; you could never know the consequences of messing too deeply with someone's psyche. It was best to keep to a light touch as to not cause damage. Bad enough he had to plant false memories of Ash's arrival, memories containing human parents, and would have to plant more false memories to cover their departure. Luckily no one was asking any questions that would merit further meddling, at least not yet.

Sunlight shifted as the orb moved from east to west and the day began to die. Pocket Watch stood by a large mound of food, pacing in small circles and twitching. Orange light and long shadows ruled the forest when Flygirl swooped down, carrying Ash and Pocket Watch.

Poison Lance sighed in relief.

_I was unsure of what everyone would want today, so I gathered some of everything, _Poison Lance said, indicating the mound of food beside him.

_I'm going to need to eat some dreams, _Pocket Watch said, plopping down by the food, _but some berries will tide me over for now._

_Acorns and nuts if you have any, _Flygirl said.

_How did his first day go, _Poison Lance asked, futilely trying to sound casual and unconcerned.

_No major incidents, _Pocket Watch answered.

_I want details!_

* * *

And so, they continued on in that manner for a few weeks before Poison Lance judged it prudent to leave the city proper and move to the surrounding villages and towns. They repeated the process where they could, in some of the outlying villages, never staying for more than a week.

"Weedle, weedle," Ash babbled one day as they were resting between villages, before switching methods of communication, _berry mash, berry mash!_

_'Bout time he learned to speak proper, _Flygirl said proudly, while Poison Lance stared in joyous disbelief.

_This is most unexpected, but welcome, _the weedle said eventually, not quite understanding why his joy was so great. Intellectually he had always known that such a thing might happen, but to actually hear it…

_It's a bit unusual, isn't it, _Pocket Watch remarked, looking up into the cloudy night sky. _I've heard of some poké-raised children who couldn't speak any language. I wonder why that is?_

_Maybe that's why they want the kid, _Flygirl suggested, while Poison Lance began to make some berry mash.

_I doubt that, _Poison Lance replied, _while it is a remarkable talent, I doubt that they could justify the effort they put into acquiring him just for that. _The weedle's eyes narrowed. _Though it may be related to whatever quality Ash possesses that they wished to take for themselves…._

_Berry mash! Berry mash!_

_Shhh child, I am making it, _Poison Lance said, dropping the previous line of thought and focusing on the food, while Pocket Watch smiled.

"Want berry!"

* * *

Pocket Watch never picked up on any psychic probes, or the tell-tale signs of an incoming teleportation during their time near Violet City, or noticed any strange energies or minds. Flygirl, for her part, did not notice any strange movements from her aerial vantage point.

Summer turned to fall, and fall turned to winter, and winter turned towards spring. Poison Lance decided that they had spent enough time in Johto and the other pokémon agreed with him. They set off in the same way they had come, heading back to Kanto to stay for a short time while they decided on their next destination.

The four of them stopped in the Viridian Forest once more, after several months of slow travel from small town to village to town, to plot their next move. Poison Lance found Ninetales and Farfetch'd, as well as their children, and the two groups stayed together for a time. The two vulpixes were fascinated by Ash, who had changed so much in the year since they had last seen him.

_I'm Ash, _the human child said to the two young fire types, _but I'm supposed to go by _"Aaron" _if people asks._

_I'm Fire of the Forest Sunrise, _the slightly larger and darker of the two vulpixes told him. _Though if we're doing weird name things, you can just call me Sunrise._

_And I'm Fire of the Forest Moonrise, _the smaller and lighter colored of the two vulpixes told him. _You can call me Moonrise for weird name games- _the pokémon attempted and failed to say Aaron- _er, uh, Ash then._

_We just saw you a year ago and you've already evolved, _Sunrise said, circling the boy. _That's amazing._

_But humans don't evolve, _Ash replied, trying to turn and follow her, almost losing his balance. _I don't think we do…_

_Humans do not personally evolve, _Poison Lance told him, briefly turning away from the conversation he was having with his old teammates, and the Farfetch'd and Ninetales couple. _Though they did evolve in the definition of the word that applies to geological timescales and natural selection._

_What he said! _Ash told the vulpixes, before finally losing his balance and falling to the forest floor. Giggling, the two young pokémon pounced on him and a play fight ensued.

While the young ones were occupied, Lucas's old pokémon had been telling their hosts about the past year and the topic of conversation had moved on to future plans.

_While the basic tenants of our plan held up, there was the unfortunate tendency for suspicion to grow in the daycare workers, especially in the smaller towns, _Poison Lance explained. _We had known that this would be a factor of course, but we had underestimated how quickly it would build up and overestimated our own capability to mitigate the issue._

_There was only so much I could do to stop them from wondering without damaging them, _Pocket Watch added. _Sometimes it was hard to even squeeze a week out of some of those daycares. When it got really bad, I had to teleport Ash out of there and wipe him from the worker's memories._

_What about the people hunting him? _Ninetales asked, curled around her smaller mate. _Was there any sign of them?_

_Not that I could see, _Flygirl replied.

_I didn't pick up on any sign of them either, _Pocket Watch added.

_Which only means that we have not yet managed to detect them, _Poison Lance reminded them. _Though I will also admit that it would seem that we may linger at our destinations for a bit longer in the future. The stability will be better for Ash I suppose._

_Well, when is he supposed to start, uh, university or whatever it is the humans call it? _Flygirl asked.

_He is, _Poison Lance did some mental math, _about a decade and a half from starting university. He is due to start grade school relatively soon. Hmmm…... I do believe that our next destination will have to include a kindergarten of some sort. Given our travel times he will probably be the correct age when we arrive._

_We'll want to choose a bigger sort of city then, _Pocket Watch said. _Someplace where we can pick and choose where he gets sent, and so we can switch him between schools so he doesn't linger in one place for too long. Or so we can find a school we deem safe enough to let him attend the full year. I know that wasn't what we initially planned, since Poison Lance and I aren't the sort of wild pokémon who make themselves at home in a city, but with how we've been operating I don't think that the issue is actually relevant. So a big city should work._

_Ideally, we will also need a city where strangers are constantly arriving, _Poison Lance mused. _Someplace that is busy. Close to wilderness would also be nice, but it may not be required if things are chaotic enough…_

_How 'bout Canalave City in Sinnoh? _Flygirl suggested. _There's always lots of people coming and going off those big boats. And it's bigger than Violet City._

_I've never been there, _Pocket Watch admitted. _But it sounds like that might work. Poison Lance?_

_I have passed through that city before, _Poison Lance answered. _It is located on a series of islands connected by bascule bridges. Hmmm….. the forests are less expansive than I would like, but it may do. We can at least make the attempt._

_We can also rest for a week or two before I carry y'all any further, _Flygirl told them. _I don't know about you two, but I'm dead tired from doin' all the work._

* * *

A week passed while Flygirl recuperated. The group stayed with Farfetch'd and Ninetales for a few more days during which Ash and the vulpixes played and laughed, before saying farewell and relocating somewhere else in the forest. Flygirl told everyone they would be leaving soon after.

Ash didn't really understand why he and his caretakers always had to keep moving. He had asked the three pokémon about it once and they had told him that it was because he was being hunted. Ash hadn't liked hearing that; he didn't want to be eaten and had told them as much. And then they had said that the people hunting him didn't want to eat him, but they kept moving so that they wouldn't find him.

That left Ash even more confused. Why were people hunting him if they didn't want to eat him and why did they need to keep moving? Hadn't they already moved enough? And then the pokémon told him that they didn't know why he was being hunted and they kept moving because they didn't know how they had found him the first time.

And then Ash had asked what was the first time and they had told him the first time was when the found him and Mareep being chased. Then Ash had asked if that was why he didn't have human parents, and then they got all weird, and then Ash started feeling all weird and bad, and he could sorta remember a human man and a woman with auburn hair and the he just started crying…...

And now here he was, sitting on a log away from his pokémon caretakers, but still within sight, trying not to start crying again.

Tall grass rustled nearby, causing the three pokémon caretakers to look over sharply, before Pocket Watch said something and then they all returned to whatever it was that they were doing. Ash looked at it curiously.

_Oh, a human! I've never seen one up close before, _the thing in the grass said, before the grass parted and a small rattata came out. _Do you have any food? _It asked, nose twitching. _Oh, right, you can't understand me…_

_I can! _Ash said, standing up and startling the small rodent-like pokémon.

_Did you just speak properly? _The rattata asked.

_Yes! My name is Ash, what's yours? _The human boy asked.

_I'm Tail in the Grass,_ the rattata answered. _How did you learn to speak properly?_

_I don't know, _Ash shrugged, _it just happened._

Silence for a minute.

_So, do you have any food? _Tail in the Grass asked.

* * *

_So, why're you hanging 'round these woods, _Tail in the Grass asked, munching on some acorns Ash had found in his pockets.

_'Cause I'm with them, _Ash thumbed over his shoulder at the trio of pokémon talking behind them. _And they're here because they want to do nothing for a week before going to a new city so I can go ta kindergarten. It's boooooooorrrring._

_They got food? _The rattata asked.

_'Course, _Ash replied. _Poison Lance is great at finding berries, Pocket Watch steals a bunch from people, and Flygirl gets fish._

_Then what 'cha complaining about? _Tail in the Grass asked.

_Well, they could always let me eat more, _Ash replied. _And I can't just do nothing. I'm going crazy._

_They're your folk's pokémon? Can't you just, uh call them on a portable phone thing?_

Ash froze up for a moment.

_I don't have folks, _he replied, swallowing back something that felt too much like tears. He just got done crying he didn't want to feel all miserable again…

_Oh. They got eaten too, _the rattata said sadly, startling Ash out of his funk.

_No-but well, close enough, _Ash said. _They won't tell me what happened exactly, _he once again indicated the three pokémon behind him, _but yeah, they're gone. They've been gone for uh, a year, I think._

_Mine got eaten six months ago, _Tail in the Grass replied, looking down and chewing slowly. _We were out in a meadow getting some seeds. There was a pidgeot and her chicks. We didn't see them until it was too late and only I got into the forest._

_I'm sorry, _Ash said, patting the small pokémon on the back.

_It's okay. I've been surviving, _Tail in the Grass looked up again, eyes wet. He sniffled and then smiled. _At least I don't have to do that weird slow evolution thing that you humans do. I mean if you're bored now, how bad was it when you were at that stage where you humans don't walk? Do you just talk all day?_

_I don't think we can talk then, _Ash told him, also starting to smile.

_Huh? Wait, how does that even work? You don't walk, you don't talk, what do you do?_

_I don't remember it myself, but from the human babies I've seen, it looks like we just cried, drank out of a bottle, and pooped in a diaper, _Ash answered. _It's probably just too boring to remember._

Tail in the Grass shuddered.

_That sounds like the worst, _the small rat like pokémon spat. _How come you don't- oh, right humans don't eat each other, or let themselves get eaten. _He sighed. _That sounds wonderful._

_We still hunt each other though, _Ash stared at the ground again. _Or, at least I'm getting hunted, from what they're telling me._

_Why?_

_Nobody knows. Pocket Watch was only able to figure out that they were after me and not my folks because he ate some guys mind who know some stuff. _Ash clenched his fist. _And there were kids I knew back where we were, but they kept moving me because I'm hunted and I miss some of those kids and now I'm doing nothing and it sucks and and and….._

_Well, I get what your new parents are doing, _Tail in the Grass said. _I know it sucks being hunted, but it sucks even more being eaten, or whatever it is you humans do when you hunt each other. But we gotta do what we gotta do._

New parents, huh…. Ash wiped his face, rubbing away the traces of tears.

_Yeah, it sucks for both of us._

* * *

AN:

This chapter is currently unbeta'd because my beta reader is sick.

So writing a full accent if both difficult and rather obnoxious. So I compromised and gave Flygirl the basics of an accent. A Texas accent to be more specific, which is classified as a lazy accent, which means I have to write out what she's saying and then chop off syllables.

I promised everyone a link to the story on AO3 last chapter, but forgot to include it, so here it is now: /works/21153581/chapters/50346575

Finally, to get ahead of some speculation, I'd just like to mention that there will be some things in this re-write that will appear like they're different from Symbiosis, but will end up being the same, and some things that appear to be the same, but will end up being different. Some new routes to old places and some old routes to new places.

I'm also going to try and release the chapters every Wednesday. And instead of keeping a word count buffer, I'm going to buffer by story arc instead. So there may eventually be delays in releases depending on arc length.

Thanks for reading and I'll hopefully see you next week.

Minor Edits as of 6/6/2020


	4. Chapter 4

Ash and Tail in the Grass talked for a bit more, played for a bit, and then shared some berry mash provided by Poison Lance, before parting ways. Ash told the rattata that he'd try to see him next time they were in the forest and the rattata said that he'd be looking forward to it.

That night Ash had a nightmare about black beasts with glowing mouths chasing him through a forest and about a woman with auburn hair. He awoke covered in cold sweat and was comforted by Flygirl, Pocket Watch, and Poison Lance.

Two days later Ash and his caretakers departed the Viridian forest and headed for the Sinnoh region and Canalave City. Along the way, Ash's caretakers had him stay at playgrounds while Flygirl rested her wings. Ash met kids his age each. Ash left kids his age never to see them again each day.

Ash found that it could be hard talking to human children, both he and they just seemed so clumsy when trying to use human speech to communicate. For some reason, it was just easier to say what he wanted to say using the way pokemon talked. Ash wished he could just always talk like a pokemon.

When he mentioned that to Poison Lance the weedle had briefly and openly panicked - at least, openly to those who knew him well - and had then gone to talk with the other two. He then returned and told Ash that he a) must spend at least twenty minutes a day talking to his pokemon caretakers using human speech and b) shouldn't use pokemon communication around humans.

_Why not? _Ash had asked.

_We do not want any awkward questions, _Poison Lance had replied. _If humans in authority learned of your situation, they may attempt to take you from us and put you into an orphanage or a foster system. And there you would be defenseless._

_Fine, _Ash said grumpily, kicking a pebble.

After months of travel, they made it to Canalave City, a series of small, mountainous islands, covered in green forests and groups of buildings connected by bridges scattered all about. Pocket Watch located a kindergarten and went about the work of enrolling Ash under the false name of Aaron Waters and implanting false memories of the staff meeting non-existent human parents.

Kindergarten was a change from daycare. For one thing, Poison Lance was keeping Ash at the same school and instead changed where they hid at night. Which meant that Ash could actually get to know the staff, such as Ms. Smalls and Mrs. Littlefield. And they actually taught him stuff! Like reading!

Ash wanted to try and learn more about humans! Flygirl, Poison Lance, and Pocket Watch knew some things but were utterly confused about other matters. Of course, Ms. Smalls and Mrs. Littlefield couldn't tell him everything, but it was all new and wonderful to Ash.

The year passed with the sort of slowness that only young children can really understand, where each day seemed so full, where five minutes was an absolute eternity, and nothing ever seemed to be changing until it suddenly changed. Later summer became autumn, where Ash and two humans named Shelly and Jack played in the leaves, and then winter came and there were snowball fights with his friends, and then the snow melted and Ash felt like he had known them forever, and summer came-

And summer came with Poison Lance saying that it was time to leave.

_I don't want to leave! Can't I just go to first grade with Shelly and Jack? _Ash pleaded, hands together before him. _Please!_

_I am sorry Ash, _Poison Lance replied. _But you are aware of why we cannot do that._

_We could stay a little longer, _Flygirl suggested. _Maybe they could do summer things together?_

_No, _Pocket Watch said shaking his head. _It would be too dangerous to alter the minds of them and their parents. We're pushing our luck already by staying here so long. I'm sorry Ash, but I agree with Poison Lance. It's time to leave._

_No! I hate you! I hate you! _Ash shouted, stomping, and starting to tear up. _I'm going to stay here, and you can't stop me!_

_Oh? And how will you get berry mash? _Poison Lance asked.

_I'll have Shelly's parents make me some, _Ash shouted. _I can live with Jack or Shelly, so I don't have to leave again._

_Ash…..._

_Why can't we just stay, _Ash said through his tears. _Why do we have to keep leaving?_

_Shhhhhh, _Poison Lance cooed, nuzzling against the boy's shoulder. _We must keep moving to keep you safe. Not only you, but any friends like Jack and Shelly. The people after you would hurt them as well._

_Why me? _Ash said, still crying. _Can't they pick on a different kid?_

_We do not know why, _Poison Lance answered, still nuzzling the boy, _perhaps, one day, we shall find out more. It might even be that they will have given up on acquiring you when that time arrives._

_Maybe they've already given up, _Ash sniffed, putting his arms around the weedle.

_I dearly wish that is the case, _Poison Lance said. _But I would rather not risk your life on such a wish. When you are older, we can try to find Jack and Shelly again._

_Promise? _Ash sniffed.

_If that is what you desire, then we will do our best to make it possible._

* * *

Ash said his tearful goodbyes to his human friends and then he was gone before the current month ended. Poison Lance had them move to the north-east, to a small place called Floaroma Town so they could plot where they would stay next year.

They were there for several days, while Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl debated locations. Meanwhile, Ash played in a local park, spending as much time as he could with the children there. It was just another routine stop, the sort they had done a dozen times before. There was no reason it should be any different, no reason why anything should happen to go wrong, except for the fact that something happened to go wrong.

The three pokemon were arguing telepathically as Flygirl kept watch on Ash. Yellow sunlight flitted through tree branches and around large fluffy white clouds as the summer sun baked the land below. A light breeze brought mild relief and the scent of freshly trimmed grass to those who were outside on that day. Birds and flying types chirped and sang. Children laughed in the park.

Flygirl quit arguing with her comrades when she noticed suspicious movement down below. People, casually dressed people, were moving down below, some of them complete strangers, some of them people she had seen out and about town for at least a few days. Individually none of their movements were concerning, but when viewed from above one could see a pattern.

There was a group of people coming through the town, like a fishing net trawling the ocean floor.

# _We've got trouble _#, the noctowl thought at her comrades, sharing the image of what she saw with them, accidentally leaking the growing tightness, nervousness, and gnawing fear she was suddenly feeling.

* * *

Ash was playing tag with a boy named Louie and his friends. The children scampered over plastic playground, heated in the summer sun, tapping each other and then running back the way they came. They shouted and laughed as they ran.

* * *

Flygirl wasn't the only one letting things leak over the link. A solid wave of emotion issued out of Poison Lance before he regained control of himself.

# _I'll grab Ash and get him out of there _# Pocket Watch communicated over the link. Poison Lance started to issue an agreement over the link and then an older part of him made itself known. The instincts of a wild weedle, the instincts of a trained pokemon. The instincts of a poison type.

# _Be ready to extract Ash, but do not do so yet _# Poison Lance said through the link cold fear and steely determination eating at him. # _First you must ascertain their intentions. And then we must wait and see if they attempt to acquire Ash. _#

# _Are! You! Outta! Your! Damn! Mind! _# Flygirl managed to 'shout' telepathically. # _Get him out of there- _#

# _No, I get what he's getting at. _# Pocket Watch interrupted. # _We need information desperately if this is going to work out in the long term. I'm going to see what I can gather from their minds. _#

# _If anythin' happens to Ash I will kill you both, comrades be damned! _# Flygirl mentally screamed.

# _If anything happens to Ash because of this I would want you to kill me! _# Poison Lance shouted back. # _But this is the best option for now. _#

# _Some of them have defensive training. _# Pocket Watch stated. # _But it's not the same as the one we found at the Ketchum home. _#

# _That could mean that he is not part of the same organization or that the organization has different methods of mental protection. _# Poison Lance stated. # _We need more information. _#

Minutes passed like years.

* * *

Ash chased someone up a slide, only for them to run across the playset's plastic bridge, and circle back around. He attempted to corner them by switching directions, but they switched when he did. Ash could have chosen a different target to tag, but now he wanted to win against this person!

* * *

Men and women continued moving through the town with a malevolent purpose, while Pocket Watch attempted to scan their minds. Poison Lance and Flygirl waited, hidden and breathless.

It was the worst sort of tension, where the sufferers were not only helpless but also bored. There was nothing they could do but hide, not knowing if they had already been discovered, but also far enough away from the action where they had no stimulus to occupy them, nothing to focus on, nothing to do but worry. They alternated between torturing themselves with worst-case scenarios and staring blankly forward with nothing on their mind.

# _They're not after Ash specifically. I repeat, they are not after Ash specifically. _# Pocket Watch stated after a seemingly immeasurable span of time, that was, in reality, a few minutes. Poison Lance and Flygirl let out simultaneous sighs of relief.

# _What are they here to accomplish then? _# Poison Lance asked.

# _They're…. scanning people? _# Pocket Watch replied. _They have some sort of device… they don't know what it's for, but they're to identify people that the device reacts strongly too. And if reacts strongly enough they're to try and silently retrieve the person right then and there. _#

# _Pocket Watch, get ready. I have a plan if the device reacts to Ash. _# Poison Lance said.

* * *

Ash was starting to get bored of playing tag. He had been playing for ten minutes, but it felt like hours! It was time to talk to the other kids about switching games.

There were a couple of strange men and women at the edge of the park next to the playground. They weren't interesting so Ash ignored them and continued playing. He thought he saw them holding some sort of gizmo out of the corner of his eye at times, and then they were whispering to each other, not looking anywhere near him. Then they all started to move-

And suddenly he was in the forest, hearing the pop of displaced air, and the group was trapped in a net of white weedle silk. Pocket Watch stood nearby, glowing softly with purple light, as the men and women in the net struggled briefly before falling asleep.

"What-"

_Ash, get behind me, _Poison Lance told the boy. _Pocket Watch, how long will it take for you to extract everything?_

_From this many people? Probably an hour, _the hypno answered, rubbing his chin. _Can you cocoon them before you go?_

_It will not take even a minute, _Poison Lance answered, _Ash can you stay there for a minute. I will explain things shortly. _Ash waited there, wide-eyed with growing fear, as Poison Lance went to work encasing the captives in bundles of yet more silk. _There you have it. This should hold them for some time._

_Now come with me Ash, _the weedle said, turning to the human child. _We should let Pocket Watch work in peace._

_Who? What's going on? _Ash was wide eyed at this point and had started to tremble.

_We are not sure, _Poison Lance answered, gently nuzzling the boy to get him moving away from the hypno and the captives. _But Ash. They did not come here looking for you specifically._

_But why did you-_

_They did not come to this town to find you personally, _Poison Lance continued. _But they were looking for people who triggered a scanning device they had._

_And it reacted to me, _Ash was breathing very fast now. _Are they my hunters?_

_That is what we are trying to find out, _Poison Lance said, looking up. _Ah, good Flygirl has arrived. _The noctowl swooped down through the forest canopy and immediately engulfed Ash under one large wing.

_Are you okay Ash? _She asked as the boy returned the hug, gripping her like a lifeline. _Shhh. Don't be scared, we're here. You're safe. We've dealt with them. And we'll eat their eyes for even thinking of trying to get you. _There was a small strangled hiccup of laughter from Ash.

_Don't. I don't want the image in my nightmares, _Ash said, half laughing, half crying.

_Oh, don't worry, I'd save some for ya, _Flygirl said, gently rubbing his back with her wing.

_That doesn't make it any better!_

* * *

An hour came and went. Poison Lance passed the time making some berry mash, lots of berry mash. Ash spent the time cuddling with Flygirl and eating the berry mash. Nobody felt like talking.

Pocket Watch eventually wandered back into the campsite, looking tired. A small shallow hole appeared in the center of the clearing and sticks began to float out of the surrounding forest and arrange themselves for a fire.

_I got everything I could, _Pocket Watch said, sitting down and leaning against a tree. _But it looks like Team Galactic is good at information control. None of them knew much._

_So, they were part of Team Galactic, _Poison Lance said, nodding to himself.

_Ever heard of 'em? _Flygirl asked, while Ash peaked out from behind one of her wings.

_Not even once, _Poison Lance answered. _Pocket Watch, was there any indication that they were the same people who tried to take Ash once before?_

_I can't say, _Pocket Watch replied. _None of them knew of any Kanto operations. None of them even knew what they were looking for, just that they should record people who got a high enough reading on this scanner device, _Pocket Watch held up what looked like a small device with a screen and some buttons, _and if they saw anyone who got a really high rating they were to retrieve them immediately if possible. Which they tried to do to Ash._

_I have not seen that particular device before. Have you? _Poison Lance asked.

_No, _Pocket Watch replied. _We should keep it in case we run into someone who can look at this thing. I've already removed the power source, but we'll also need to pick up a lead box to make sure it's not sending any signals._

_That is a good idea, _Poison Lance agreed. _We will have to bury it tonight just in case and come back for it tomorrow. What else did you learn?_

_Team Galactic is either very stupid or very brilliant, _Pocket Watch went on, _most of our captives had different ideas about what the end goals of the organization were, other than it would somehow grant them power. Their mental defense training wasn't the same as the man we found in Kanto-_

_Which does not tell us anything, _Poison Lance interjected. _It may be that he belonged to a different organization which is after whatever quality of Ash this machine detected, but it might also be that Team Galactic has multiple methods of mental defense training, and due to operational security has not shared any information about efforts in other regions between groups._

_I'm inclined to think that Team Galactic wasn't behind what happened in Kanto, _Pocket Watch said, watching two sticks rub together to light the fire. _They had some knowledge of other operations, all of them in Sinnoh. Nothing about Kanto or Unova, unlike the man we found at the Ketchum home._

_Then why were they also after me? _Ash asked, body and voice trembling. _What's so special about me?_

_I wish we could tell you, _Poison Lance sighed, coming over to nuzzle the boy. He looked back at Pocket Watch. _I am inclined to agree with you about Team Galactic. We found out their name too easily, unlike what happened in Kanto. It is not definitive, but we also have no solid evidence linking them to what happened in Kanto either._

_So, we've got two groups to watch out for, _Flygirl growled. _Well, just means I have to get my talons dirty-_

_Ash, are you feeling tired yet? _Poison Lance interrupted her. _Would you like to go to sleep now?_

_I'm not tired, but I'd like to sleep, _Ash answered.

_Pocket Watch, could you assist? _Poison Lance inquired. _I'll just go make his bed._

_Sure, _Pocket Watch said, groaned and then got up. He walked over to Ash, took the boy's hand, and then led him over to where Poison Lance was swiftly constructing a bedroll out of weedle silk. Ash crawled into the bed and then Pocket Watch put his hand on his head. There was a brief glow and then Ash was asleep.

_Pocket Watch, what did you do with the captives? _Poison Lance asked once Ash was asleep.

_They're dead and buried, _Pocket Watch answered.

_Good, _Poison Lance nodded, and then went on. _We may have more than two groups to be wary of_. _We are still unaware of what they want from Ash. There may be other groups out there that desire this thing._

_What could it be? And are they all searching for it the same way? _Pocket Watch asked.

_What do you mean? _Poison Lance inquired.

_Team Galactic used this scanner to look for whatever it was they were looking for, _Pocket Watch elaborated. _It was short-ranged; they had to have a visual on the target and be within shouting distance of the person they were scanning. Is that a limitation that other group or groups might share? Or do they have other ways of tracking people like Ash?_

_I get what you're sayin', _Flygirl said. _Did they see him, sniff him, or track him? Poison Lance, I've probably asked ya somethin' like this before, but were there any strangers around the Ketchum home before the attack? I don't remember if you've said._

_I cannot say for certain, _Poison Lance replied, eyes narrowing in thought. _I do not believe that I heard word of such, but it may have been a bit of gossip I had missed, or they came in stealth._

_So, we don't know if the first group saw, sniffed, or tracked, _Flygirl sighed.

_Sorry, but I understand what you're saying by 'saw' in this context, _Pocket Watch said, waving the device. _But what does 'sniffed' or 'tracked' mean?_

_Sniffed means they could tell he was in the area, _Flygirl explained, _but they might not have had a fixin' where. Tracked means they found him based on some sorta other clues. Maybe it runs in his family and that's how they found him the first time?_

_I see, _Pocket Watch said. _In any case, we now have to worry about various groups 'seeing' Ash, so to speak. But that does prompt another question; why are they all making their moves now?_

_Either somethin's commin' or someone's proddin' things, _Flygirl said. _Or maybe someone's proddin' these groups because there's somethin commin?_

_That does make an unfortunate amount of sense, _Poison Lance admitted. _I had hoped that I would never live to see such a time again, but I remember that is not my choice to make. It matters little for now, we have to plan where we will live next._

* * *

Ash had another nightmare that night. Monsters with fiery mouths chased him through the dark while shadowy people grabbed at him. He awoke to cold sweat and his caretaker's comforting embrace.

* * *

The pokemon decided that Ash would attend first grade in Fortree city, in the region of Hoenn. It was a city in the trees, where wild pokemon wandered freely. Pocket Watch, Poison Lance, and Flygirl would have an easier time sticking by Ash that way. And, after Ash finished first grade, they would steal books and hope that Ash could manage with some self-study, assisted by Pocket Watch, who had managed to learn how to read by observing Ash's classes.

Along the way they stopped by Viridian Forest again.

Ash had been looking forward to meeting with Fire of the Forest Sunrise and Fire of the Forest Moonrise again. He was bouncing with excitement at the prospect of meeting them again.

Poison Lance managed to locate Farfetch'd and Ninetales again, and as was becoming tradition, the four of them stopped in to stay with the local family. The adults talked while the children both talked and played.

Ash was happier than he had been for weeks. Just meeting up with some old friends after having to leave his new friends was nice; it reminded him that he might see Jack and Shelly again. That just because he had to leave a place once it didn't mean he couldn't return.

He and the vulpixes played tag. They playfought. Hide and seek was attempted, but Ash's human sense of smell put him at a significant disadvantage. Tickle fights were also attempted, but Ash's human fingers gave him a significant advantage. And near the end of the day, when everyone was tired, they just sat and talked.

_And then Shelly threw a snowball at me_, Ash said, finishing a story from his time in Sinnoh. _It was fun._

_I didn't know you could do so much with snow, _commented Sunrise. _Other than melt it maybe? But then it's just water and mud, and it gets everywhere._

_If we were like those Alola cousin's mom told us about then maybe we could make ice sculptures, _Moonrise chimed in. _But we still couldn't do anything with the snow. Maybe if we evolved and could use our tails…._

_There were how many? _Ninetales hissed under her breath several yards away from the children.

_About seven or eight humans, _Poison Lance whispered in a low voice, glancing over. _We were able to intercept them before they got close to Ash. They are deceased now._

_By the Flames of the Sun, I would still be off-kilter if it had been me in that situation, _Ninetales admitted. _I don't think I could have taken them down before they got out weapons or pokemon._

_I'm not sure I would've let him play with humans in the first place, _Farfetch'd said. _But that might be worse in its own way._

This continued for several hours. And then Fire of the Forest Sunrise decided that she and Fire of the Forest Moonrise should get dinner for Ash.

_We're the hosts! And so, it's our job to get the food! _Sunrise said cheerily.

_And we want to hunt! It's so much fun! _Moonrise added. _Can we mom? Please?_

_Fine. But don't get too far from us, _Ninetales said. _And be back in half an hour._

They returned twenty minutes later, with a small charred body in Sunrise's mouth. She proudly dropped it in front of Ash and didn't notice his gasp of horror.

_Dinner! _Fire of the Forest Sunset chirped over the corpse of Tail in the Grass.

* * *

Orange light from the setting sun covered Ash as he sobbed and shivered. Sunrise and Moonrise loitered awkwardly several meters away, next to where their parents, Flygirl, and Pocket Watch were sitting. Poison Lance was nuzzling the boy.

If some force had managed to grant Ash the ability to regain composure in that instant, to temporarily shut down the horrible burning cold emptiness within him, to relieve the horrible feeling of wet pressure behind his eyes, to be able to organize his thoughts into words, and to be able to look up once more with open clear eyes, and then if the same force had asked Ash why he was crying so much, Ash still would not have been able to explain why he felt so bad.

Tail in the Grass had not been a close friend, or a relative, or even someone Ash had known long; he had been a pokemon that Ash once had a conversation with. But Tail in the Grass had said that he was looking forward to seeing Ash again.

Just another whom Ash would never talk to again.

Would he never get to talk to his other friends again?

Would he keep losing friends old and new?

Would he eventually just be alone until it was time for him to leave the world?

Why was this happening to him?

Why couldn't he quit crying?

* * *

_Did we do something wrong? _Sunrise asked in a small voice, huddled by her mother. _I just wanted to get some food. I didn't know he knew any pokemon around here…_

Ninetales sighed.

_There's a reason my diet has consisted largely of fish since I met your father, _Ninetales told her offspring. _It was always a fear of mine that I would catch one of his friends or relatives. These days I only eat pokemon if I catch them hunting you two or your father._

_But Ash isn't a pokemon, _Moonrise said, sounding confused. _And he was barely here._

_He was here long enough to meet you two, _Ninetales said, gently stroking her children's heads with her tails. _Still this was a rather unlikely outcome. The odds of you catching any of his friends should have been very low._

_So, we didn't do anything wrong, _Moonrise said.

_I wouldn't go that far, _Pocket Watch said.

_So, we did do something wrong, _Moonrise sighed turning to Pocket Watch.

_It's not that simple, _Flygirl said.

_True. Human philosophers can spend years debating whether an act was right or wrong, depending on what is known about the context surrounding the act, the consequences of the act, and the people involved, _Pocket Watch explained. _They can spend absurd amounts of time examining the most trivial details in hopes that said detail will illuminate the answer to the main question._

_You just tried to give your friend a fresh meal, _Flygirl added, _in a way you do all the time._ _There's nothin' wrong with that. But…._

_In the end you hurt Ash, _Pocket Watch finished.

_Does he get upset when you go hunting? _Sunrise asked in a small voice.

_I don't hunt anymore, _Flygirl answered. _Haven't since I joined Lucas's team._

_Neither I nor Poison Lance hunt anymore either, _Pocket Watch added, _though I do eat the occasional nightmare. Most pokemon who've had trainers don't eat other pokemon anymore. When you're on a trainer's team the trainer provides the food for you and humans don't like eating sapient beings. So, we ate processed chow, fish, animal, and sweets for years and didn't have to hear a small pokemon screaming in terror before it became our dinner._

_I didn't realize how much better it was livin' like that for about a year, _Flygirl continued. _I was out scoutin' and I got hungry. There was this delicious looking furret, but I just couldn't bring myself to go after it. I ended up getting confused and decided to eat some acorns. Later I talked to Plush about it and he told me that I had gotten used to not carryin' that pain around with me. I couldn't bring myself to go back to that._

_Is that why some pokemon go join with trainers? _Moonrise was still quiet, but her voice wasn't as subdued.

_For some, yes that's the reason, _Pocket Watch answered. _It's not the only reason. Some pokemon do it to get stronger. Some do it to see the world. Some do it just because they like their trainers._

_Maybe we should go find a trainer, _Sunrise said. _Then we wouldn't do this again._

* * *

_Is that true? _Ash asked sometime later, when the sun was almost gone, the first stars were peeking through the night, and the gentle light of scattered fireflies was beginning to make itself known. _That humans don't eat pokemon?_

_For the most part, _Poison Lance answered. _How much of that conversation did you hear?_

_Only what Pocket Watch said, _Ash sniffed. _So, we don't eat pokemon?_

_There is the occasional person who has or will eat a pokemon, _Poison Lance answered slowly. _But it is typically because of desperation or for a ritual of some significance. It is extremely uncommon within human civilization for a person to eat a pokemon simply because they desired to do so._

_That sounds nice, _Ash replied, rubbing under his nose. _Will I ever be able to live there, or can I only visit?_

Poison Lance didn't answer at first. He stared into the deepening night forest, as the fireflies played and the stars revealed themselves over the cooling world below.

_We are doing our best to make it so that you can live amongst humans safely when you are older, _Poison Lance finally said. _But, I admit, part of me worries that you will always be in danger. It might be safer if you restrained yourself from visiting human civilization instead of dwelling there._

"But if I stay out here, my friends will eat each other", Ash answered, switching methods of communication. "And maybe I'd want to deal with my hunters instead of that."

_When you are older, it will be your choice, _Poison Lance replied. _But I do implore you, do not needlessly risk yourself. The civilization that your people have constructed has its own perils and cruelties._

"But it doesn't have friends eating friends." Ash shot back. "And I can help make it better. You're always talking about how Lucas and you guys helped out. If I become a trainer, I can do that. I can fight my hunters too! And my friends won't have to eat each other."

Poison Lance closed his eyes.

_The years I spent with my trainer were the happiest times of my life. _Poison Lance answered. _Yet it was a dangerous life-_

"Like my life isn't already dangerous-"

_It would add yet more danger to your already overburdened life. _Poison Lance retorted. _And still part of me, part of me would like nothing better than for you to partake in that life despite the trials and tribulations._

When Poison Lance opened his eyes, they were the eyes of a much younger Poison Lance.

_If that is truly your choice, I know that I cannot help but give my blessing._

* * *

When they parted ways, the goodbyes were awkward and muttered, Ash and the vulpixes unsure of what to say to each other, how to face each other after that night. Following that Flygirl conveyed the group to Fortree City in Hoenn.

Pocket Watch went through the now-routine motions of sneaking Ash into the school system, under the name of Aaron Storms while Flygirl scouted, and Poison Lance gathered and built. Though, for once, they did not feel the need to keep a low profile as they traveled; wild pokemon freely came and went throughout the city.

And what a city it was! A network of buildings in the branches, connected by rope bridges, like a child's fantasy of a treehouse city made real. Of course, the entire city couldn't fit in the canopies, many of the larger buildings rested on the humble earth instead, but enough of the city was sky-bound to amaze Ash.

Wild pokemon freely came and went, falling asleep and blocking walkways and roads. Flying pokemon chirped and flew everywhere. Many other types of pokemon, from normal to bug to grass wandered about amongst the people living in the city, crawling on buildings, roads and trees.

Pocket Watch's duties were made much easier; no one commented on the apparently sleeping hypno lounging on branches around the city. Flygirl's duties were a little more difficult, she had to deal with a significantly larger amount of aerial traffic. Unexpectedly, Poison Lance's job was made more difficult; to avoid interference from the local pokemon he had to hide deeper in the surrounding forest than he had originally planned.

As for Ash, the first grade did not go as well as kindergarten had. With the memories of Jack, Shelly, Fire of the Forest Sunrise, Fire of the Forest Moonrise, and Tail in the Grass still fresh in his head Ash didn't bother making any friends.

Not that the other children would have been receptive to such overtures in the first place. He wasn't sure what was different about the children in first grade at the school in Fortree, but they didn't seem to like it. Ash didn't know why.

Maybe they thought he talked weird? Or maybe it was because he didn't understand what they were going on about when they talked about their favorite cartoons, movies, sports teams, or famous trainers? Maybe it was the fact that he brought in strange lunches almost every day, consisting of berries, nuts, and the occasional stolen bit of jerky or meat snack?

Or maybe it was the smell of his clothes? Ash himself washed regularly, but neither he nor his pokemon caretakers really knew how to do laundry. The closest they came was rinsing the clothes in clean water a few times before Pocket Watch stole some more.

In the end, the cause didn't matter. Ash didn't try to be included and the other children didn't try to include him. To a certain extent that attitude extended to the teacher. She seemed to have a mild dislike for the boy as well.

However, Ash was one of the top students in the class, for what it was worth in the first formal year of schooling. He knew that he would need to learn as much as he could so that he could get by on self-study for the next couple of years. His efforts were shown in his work, and so he was mostly ignored by the teacher.

The year dragged on with agonizing slowness. It wasn't a bad year, but it was a drab year, which in many ways was worse. There were no significant pains to overcome, only the constant slow grind lessons and homework done on logs, of recesses and lunches alone, of long nights in the forest when he didn't particularly feel like talking to anybody.

Finally, it came to end with the arrival of the next summer.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Magnive for beta reading.

Had some issues with some of these scenes, but I finally got them to a state where I consider them to be 'acceptable'.

Still have a large buffer, but due to real life events it's becoming harder to keep up my old pace. Hopefully that will change soon.

Don't forget to leave a review.

Minor edits as of 6/7/2012:AN


	5. Chapter 5

This time the move didn't upset Ash; he had internalized the knowledge that it was coming and the first grade held few fond memories for him. But he would miss the city itself, with the pokémon who mingled freely in the skyways between the trees.

For their next destination Poison Lance had argued for Lavender Town back in Kanto.

_We can link up with Mismagius, _Poison Lance argued, _who can provide us with intelligence about the surrounding land. And she might know more about the regional state of affairs thanks to ghost-type gossip._

_Still, lingering in Kanto? For years on end? _Pocket Watch grimaced. _I don't like it._

_Wait, don't all the ghost types in Lavender Town have somethin' goin' on with children? That other humans don't really know about? _Flygirl asked, tilting her head. _Right! They collect the ghosts of human children!_

_And they would be loath to let a living one be snatched right under their noses, _Poison Lance replied with relish. He turned to the boy. _If your hunters do make another attempt after you, Lavender Town is a spot where we could potentially destroy them._

_That'd be good, _Ash said.

_Fine, _Pocket Watch sighed. _But at the first sign of real trouble we get out of there. Even with Mismagius's help I don't want to risk Ash. _He held up a hand, cutting off Poison Lance who was drawing himself up to protest. _Yes, I agree in the long run this trap, that I'm not sure you've realized is a trap, might actually be safer. But in the short term it has the potential to put him in even more danger._

_Two years ago, I might have agreed with you, _Poison Lance answered. _However, after what happened in Sinnoh, and the possibility that there may be multiple groups looking for Ash or at least people with his unknown qualities, I believe that this option is for the best. While we reside in Lavender Town, we will have both secrecy and strength on our side._

_I can't think of a better option, _Pocket Watch admitted with a sigh. _I've already stolen textbooks for the next few years of human schooling. I'll steal some more from the schools around Lavender Town for variety's sake. Flygirl, can you help me get in contact with Mismagius?_

They departed the next morning, Flygirl carrying Pocket Watch and Ash in talons, while Poison Lance rode on her back. Ash was finding the trip more uncomfortable each year and Flygirl found it growing harder to carry them all at once.

It took them two months to make the journey, as Flygirl needed to rest more often, and they often made frequent detours. Ash found them exciting at first, but when the crossed the border into Kanto, the side trips became more boring. More than once he had to entertain himself while the three pokémon stood in solemn silence by a statue, or a grave, or a small cross in the ground, or even just some random place with no special marker.

When Ash asked about those seemingly random places, Flygirl explained that they were spots were something significant had happened to them, to Lucas and his team, but weren't remembered by the world at large, so there was no marker. Ash asked why they didn't add their own markers, but Flygirl explained that the pokémon who were left didn't need markers to remember those places and what had happened there.

_I can still remember what it felt like to be there, _Flygirl told the boy. _The sun shinin' on my feathers as I fought. Smell of smoke. The thrill of victory. Wasn't a large battle, but if felt so good after losin' for so long._

_What's it like? Battling I mean? _Ash inquired.

_For fun or for actual fightin? _Flygirl asked in turn. _One's excitin', the other's terrifyin'. All your trainin', all the competitions, hell, even all the huntin ya might do isn't really preparation for a proper trainer fight, where they're both tryin' to kill the other._

_Keep in mind that you humans are usually more fragile than even some of the softer pokémon, _Pocket Watch added. _We always had to keep an eye around Lucas in case something looked like it was getting the drop on him, so we could take the blow instead._

_But we also had to keep our attention split between Lucas and our enemies because he was the one directing us, Poison_ Lance also added. _Believe me, they were most unorganized affairs._

_Bunch of shoutin', screamin' and then some cryin', _Flygirl said. _But generally real fights are a bit quick; start with even odds and then you take one pokémon down and there's suddenly a hole in their armor. Either you mop them up quickly or they retreat._

_There are exceptions of course, _Pocket Watch added. _Legendary battles that dragged on for hours or days. But the skill levels of the pokémon and people involved were extraordinary. We never encountered their like personally._

_This is also disregarding running battles, or large-scale engagements, _Poison Lance said. _The latter of which may go on for days or weeks. In our experience it could be both wonderful and absolutely frustrating to work as part of a team of teams._

_Fightin' for fun is much better, _Flygirl said. _Usually it's one on one so it's less confusin'. And there's little risk of dyin'. It's like wrestling with nestmates, but so much more invigoratin'._

Their conversation continued for over an hour and moved on to cover topics such as basic tactics, training, and things to watch out for. It was the first of many conversation Ash would have with the three about pokémon training and battling over the next couple of years.

Eventually they made it to Lavender Town, a small town at the base of the mountains with Pokémon Tower rising above it. They arrived on an early fall night, when the humans of the town purposefully made themselves scarce, and strange things flitted in the air above.

Pocket Watch snuck them into the tower, past the empty reception office, and into the tower proper. After they passed the first door a horrible sight greeted them.

An amorphous mass, constantly shifting, never settling on shape or substance. A purple terror without logic or reason, neither gas nor solid nor liquid, charging forward and droning out a noise horrible to most humans.

_SCARY NOISES! SCARY NOISES! SCARY- oh, wait you're the pokémon who were supposed to be coming here to visit Mismagius, _the horrid thing said, before becoming a ghastly.

_Whoooaaa… _Ash said, wide eyed. _That was cool!_ The ghastly flinched suddenly at the boy's words, nearly falling out of the air, eyes wide with shock.

_Did you just speak properly? _The ghastly asked, picking itself up. _That's a new one. And I can guess why you're here now. Mismagius, Mismagius, now where is she supposed to be right now….._

_Wrong mismagius. It's Witch of the North Sky, _Pocket Watch corrected, _not Wisdom from the Grave._

_Oh, right, she's on the top floor, with the new arrivals, _the ghastly said. _Let me get someone to cover for me and then I'll escort you there._

A haunter took his place and then the ghastly took them through the tower. Each floor was covered in headstones and caskets, all lit by a faint white-purple light that had no obvious source. Ghost types were all over, playing with each other, eating, sleeping, and even doing what looked like a comedy show on one of the floors.

And then they reached the second to top floor of the tower where ghost types were constantly coming and going through the ceiling. When they came the ghostly pokémon usually carried a bundle. They left empty handed.

On the top floor the nature of their burden's was revealed. They were the ghosts of human children, as Flygirl had mentioned back in Hoenn. Many small human shades resided on the top floor of the tower. Some were sleeping, some were crying, some were doing nothing, but some were talking and playing with the ghost type pokémon. Ash looked around, nerves evident on his face, and then there was a voice behind him.

_You're a little solid to be here, _the voice said, causing the boy to jump.

_Ah, Mismagius, _Poison Lance said, turning around to face the speaker. _It has been far too long._

_Poison Lance you stodgy, pretentious, stuck up bug! Give me a hug! _The pokémon replied. She was a purple thing, a floating dress without arms, or maybe she was a lampshade. There were three pink ovals on her center, and head was crowned with what looked like a witch's hat. Two yellow and orange eyes looked out from under the brim and the mouth was curved in a wide smile.

_Neither of you can hug and you know that perfectly well, _Pocket Watch rolling his eyes and trying not to smile.

_Then you'll have to hug us both! And you can get in on this too you old bird!_

_Who you calling old? _Flygirl said, also smiling. The four pokémon hugged.

_And you must be Ash, _Mismagius said after the hug ended. _I'm glad I got to meet you in flesh! You know, instead of the way I normally meet human children._

_Yeah…. _Ash said, looking around at all the ghosts. _Can we do this on a different floor?_

* * *

_So, uh, why are there so many human ghosts up there_? Ash asked after they had gone down a floor.

_We gather them from around Kanto, _Mismagius answered.

_Why?_

_It's because they need help, _Mismagius replied with a shrug. _And because if they don't get any help, well, bad things start to happen._

_Okay, but why are _you _doing it? _Ash asked, titling his head. _And how come all the pokémon in the tower are doing it too? I thought wild pokémon didn't do stuff like this?_

_It's true that most pokémon wouldn't have the urge or knowledge to organize something like this, _Mismagius admitted. _But we ghost-types have always been a little strange. Maybe it's because we're a little human? Not those rumors about some of us being former humans; human souls, or ghosts rather, can't become pokémon after death. But sometimes a ghost type pokémon forms in a place instead of being breed and born, and it can pick up all sorts of things, such as human memories._

_I mean, there's the odd wild pokémon, or the occasional trained pokémon that organizes wild pokémon into communities or something, _Mismagius continued, spinning around to survey the tower. _We've got more knowledge about such matters, so we ghosts organize more. Other wild organizations almost always fall apart after the founder dies, but with us it lasts a bit longer._

_Because it's harder for the founder to die when they started out dead._

_Hush you, _Mismagius said to Pocket Watch before turning back to Ash. _As to the urge, well, we pokémon are neighbors to human civilization, and us ghost types are closer than most. Human civilization gives us so much, from places to feed off of, to solid food, graveyards to live in, the list goes on and on. We should give something back because it's both the right thing to do and so that we can continue enjoying all the fruits of our situation._

_Okay. I'm not going to have to play with them, will I? _Ash asked while his eyes darted around the floor and he fidgeted.

_It's better that you don't, _Mismagius replied. _We don't want the children getting confused and trying to take you with them._

_Good. No more questions. _Ash said nodding. His fidgeting stopped.

_So, what're you here for? _Mismagius said, turning to her old teammates. _Just stopping by to visit?_

_No, we'll be staying here longer than that, _Pocket Watch told her, before going to explain Poison Lance's plan.

_Well it will be nice to have you all here for a while, _Mismagius said when he was done. _But you can't keep Ash in the Tower. It's not safe for a living human child._

_Oh, we had no intention of doing that, _Poison Lance replied.

"Thank Cresselia"_, _Ash said, wiping his brow.

_We were planning on find a place in the mountains and staying there for the next couple of years, _Poison Lance went on. _We were hoping though, in the event that there is an attempt to abduct Ash, that you and the pokémon here could provide assistance._

_Of course! _Mismagius answered, shooting up a foot or so. _We'd be glad to kick some ass to save a kid. But, as long as we're doing that, do you think you could help out around the tower? There are a few odd jobs that we need help with?_

_Certainly, _Poison Lance said. _What manner of jobs do you need assistance with?_

_We need blankets for the more confused children, someone to wipe the memories of some humans we think are getting suspicious of our operation, _Mismagius listed, _someone to steal a few human items, and someone who can occasionally help us scout during the day._

_Deal, _Flygirl replied. _Do you know of any good caves? If ya do, we can move in today._

* * *

Mismagius did know of a good cave. The four of them moved into a cave at the bottom of a nearby mountain, dug a firepit, lit a fire, and slept in what would be their home for the next few years.

Awaking a little after Poison Lance, Ash set out to explore the land around his new home. Mist gently covered the forested base of the mountain and extended into the foothills beyond, dissipating under the morning sun. Yellow-gray exposed rock poked through the forest here and there, as a cliff covered in vines, leaves, and roots, providing a backdrop against the sprawling conifers, or as steep slopes leading to higher forests.

A chill ran throughout the air, and there was a gentle wetness to the ground and plants around the cave, a result of the mist. Ash rubbed his shoulders, ran back into the cave to grab a jacket that Pocket Watch had recently stolen, and then ran back outside.

Ash amused himself for what felt like a long time to his young mind, what he thought must have been most of the morning, but in reality, was only fifteen minutes. When he got back to the cave, Pocket Watch and Flygirl had woken up.

"Iiiiii'mmmmmm boooooooored," Ash whined. "Let's do something!"

_Like what, _Pocket Watch asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"How 'bout keep away?" Ash suggested.

_Huh? What would ever give you the idea that I would play that game? _Pocket Watch asked, turning away from Ash, who then immediately glanced the other direction on instinct. Behind the boy, grass and plant stems had tied themselves together into a ball. Ash laughed and made a grab for it, but it flew away.

_No fair, startin' without warning, _Flygirl complained before launching herself after the ball. Poison Lance gave a fond sigh as the other three ran out of the cave.

Pocket Watch floated the ball through the forest for a little while before Ash grabbed it out of the air. Grinning he held it aloft in triumph for a moment, only for Flygirl to swoop by and snatch it out of his hand.

_You snooze you loooose! _She crowed at Ash's indignant cry, before weaving through the trees as Ash gave chase.

They continued on in that manner for several more minutes, until Pocket Watch used telekinesis to rip it from her talons, and Ash grabbed the ball as it slowly floated towards the hypno.

_I got it now! _He cried, grinning, and hiding the ball behind his back.

_Oh? How long can you keep it? _Pocket Watch grinned and stretched out a hand. Something jerked out of Ash's grip and flew around the boy, landing in Pocket Watch's hand._Ah, it looks like there is nothing that you can possess that I cannot- Wait, this isn't the ball._

In his hand was a roundish rock about the same size as the ball. The hypno looked back at Ash, who was already sprinting back into the forest, laughing as he ran. Pocket Watch grinned, and started jogging after the boy.

The game continued for another twenty minutes. It ended when the ball had been knocked out of Flygirl's talons again, and before Pocket Watch or Ash could grab it, a shot of sticky silk yanked the ball out of the air.

_I do believe it is time for breakfast, _Poison Lance said, a trifle smug as he stuck the ball to his tail. _Oh, and does this mean that I am the victor?_

* * *

Days came and went, fall turned to winter and beyond. The four of them settled into their new home as the leafy trees became a glorious spread of colors before baring their branches beneath the snow, and the unchanging conifers stoically bore the burdens of winter.

Ash, bundled up in stolen warm clothing, got to know some of the local wild pokémon while hiking the mountains before the snow came in. He didn't have the opportunity to grow close to any of them; too many were migrating or getting ready to hibernate through the winter.

When winter came Ash was restricted to the warmer cave and to the occasional visit to Pokémon Tower when one of his caretakers went to help with an odd job or just to visit Mismagius. The rest of the time he either amused himself just outside of the cave or had to study.

_Ash, I told you, you had to finish those math problems today, _Pocket Watch scolded. Ash sighed and turned away from the snow fort he had been building.

_But they're boring. And I did a bunch of grammar stuff yesterday! _The boy protested. It seemed like every moment that he wasn't asleep, eating, or at pokémon tower, he was being nagged to do school work.

History, grammar, and math were the primary topics that he was being subjected to. History was boring, but tolerable. Grammar was boring, but easier than he thought it would be. Math, however, was the worst. Ash found it boring and stupid. Memorize numbers. Memorize what happened when you added them together. Memorize what happened when you subtracted them. Oh, here comes multiplication! Memorize that as well!

At least at school there had been classmates, even if they weren't close, to commiserate with. And the teacher at least understood the material, so they could give the occasional bit of help. Ash had done well then.

But now he was just learning out of a bunch of dry books and doing problems assigned by a creature that had learned to read at the same time as him. It sucked! It was boring! Ash would rather at least try to do things with snow.

_How did you even know that I hadn't done them yet, _Ash said in a voice caught between being a whine and a sigh. _You didn't even go in the cave yet!_

_I could see it in your mind, _Pocket Watch answered.

_That's no fair! At least other kids get the privacy of their head!_

_Well, other human children do their work-_

_That's not true, _Ash protested, thinking of first grade. _Not all of them. And they don't have to worry about telepaths digging around their head._

_Maybe you should have just done your work and then this wouldn't have been a problem- _Pocket Watch began, before being interrupted by Poison Lance.

_He does have a point, _Poison Lance said. _Although, it is also true that he should have done his work. How about this as a compromise. _The weedle turned to Ash. _How would you like more work to do Ash?_

_Bleh, _Ash said, sticking out his tongue. _No, I don't want any more._

_Oh, is your distaste for more work greater than your dislike of having Pocket Watch access your mind without permission? _Poison Lance asked. _We can teach you the fundamentals of protecting your mind from telepathy, but it will require constant practice._

Ash hesitated, caught between childhood slothfulness, and the budding rebellious desire to keep his caretakers out of his mind.

_Fine, _Ash said, sitting down and crossing his arms. _At least it's not more math._

_Oh, you will have to finish your math, _Poison Lance said. _There is no escaping math, not even to the ends of the earth or to the end of time. Numbers shall __**always **__find you._

* * *

Winter passed into spring, which passed into summer, and back into fall as the cycle began anew. Ash played when he could, studied when he had too, made some small friendships with the wild pokémon, and generally passed the year as well as any child in his situation could.

His friendships with the wild pokémon didn't always last. Far too often the wild pokémon would disappear without a trace. Ash hoped that they didn't share Tail in the Grass's fate, but he knew that it was all too likely that they had.

Ash also learned the basics of psychic defense; of detection, deflection, and attempted destruction. How to detect a foreign presence in his own mind, how to deflect its attention to memories or thought that were safe to give up, and how to throw his own will against the intrusion to force it out. He also learned the basics of controlling his thoughts, how to be aware of his thoughts, and how to drop a line of thought without lingering.

_These are the basics, _Flygirl had told him. _Once you're older there's some other ticks you can learn. They're harder to pull off, but with it you can get rid of stronger psychic pests._

Ash was tested on these skills by Pocket Watch's random attempts to read his mind. It could be tiring, having to be constantly on alert of a mental intrusion. But he did get some privacy out of it. And privacy was very important for what he decided to attempt one day.

Ash waited hidden on a ledge on a hot summer's day, looking down below. Pocket Watch was ambling along below, lost in thought. The human boy had made sure that there was no mental intrusion and that his thoughts were sufficiently hidden.

And then he splashed a bucket's worth of water over the hypno below.

Ash laughed as Pocket Watch wiped at his eyes and sputtered. And then the hypno was no longer below; with a pop he appeared right next to Ash and glared down at the boy.

_Think that's funny do you, _Pocket Watch said, crossing his arms and tapping one finger on his elbow. Ash backed away, unable to answer, still laughing.

_Well then you can find this funny! Ten thousand years of tickling! _Ash glowed purple and was lifted off the ground, laughing and writhing as the telekinetic power tickled him all over. Pocket Watch held him there for a full thirty seconds of tickling before he heard a ripping sound.

_What was that? _The dripping hypno asked, gentling putting the boy down.

_I don't know, _Ash replied, looking himself over. It turned out that the source of the rip was the knee of his jeans. The pants had been feeling tight for a few weeks and now it looked like they were finally giving up.

_Looks like they're too small for you, _Pocket Watch said, examining the clothing carefully. _I'll have to start stealing bigger things. _He looked over the boy. _Huh, and you used to be shorter too. I'll have to watch out, you'll soon be taller than me._

_Huh_, Ash said, tilting his head. That was a new thought. The hypno still seemed to tower over him, but now that the boy thought about it, the height difference didn't seem **quite **as severe as it once was.

_Now that I thinking about it, it's about time I arranged a doctor's visit for you, _Pocket Watch said, stroking his chin. _You're growing up._

* * *

The doctor's visit was ultimately without incident (other than routine vaccination shots), thanks to liberal use of mental manipulation on behalf of Pocket Watch. And so, the year continued on and became years. New textbooks were stolen. New work was done. Seasons came and went.

Ash continued to grow, maybe a bit too slowly for Poison Lance who worried and fussed over the boy's health, but still within a healthy range. Pocket Watch started stealing early for when Ash, so that when the boy outgrew his current set the new ones would be ready and waiting Flygirl began to dread their next long-range flight together.

Poison Lance began to teach him how to forage his own food from the forest and how to move silently. He also taught Ash the basics of tracking and watching out for predators. The poison-type also began to tell Ash of how to find nourishment in other environments. The two began to wander the forest together, talking while gathering.

The boy still had the occasional nightmare about being hunted, but they didn't come as frequently. Ash and his caretakers doubted that they would ever stop, but they were all happy that the dreams would torment him less.

As he grew older Ash began to take an even greater interest in pokémon battles and training. He actually began to read of his own accord, books about pokémon training, about pokémon battles, about pokémon themselves! And more and more time was spent talking with his odd family about the past. What they had done and how they had done it. Common tactics and training tips.

_Type advantage is something that you should always consider, _Poison Lance said, _but it is not always the most important thing. If there exists a member of your team that can successfully neutralize the enemy before they can attack, or successfully counter the attack rather than enduring it, or greatly reduce the effectiveness of the pokémon with the type advantage, then type advantage becomes quite meaningless. This is obvious, however, so many trainers work to create countermeasures to protect pokémon that rely on special attacks, where type advantage matters the most, from such measures._

_Ya don't get to use these tactics as much in one-on-one battles, _Flygirl added, _unless both you and your opponent are allowed to keep switching pokémon out._

_Defeating the enemy before they can use their type advantage isn't the only way to do it, _Pocket Watch chimed in. _A pokémon that can easily evade their attacks, or reduce their accuracy, will also suffice._

_And then there is the environment, and the respective individual abilities of the pokémon in question, and how they can alter the dynamics of type advantage, _Poison Lance continued to Ash, who was listening with rapt attention.

They did more than just talk about battles. Thanks to Ash's casual friendships with the local wild pokémon they were able to host mock battles.

_Now Growlithe, if you would stand over there by Ash, _Poison Lance said one fall, directing some wild pokémon. _And Sandshrew, if you would stand over there by Pocket Watch._

_Alright, _Sandshrew yawned. _But it's getting close to hibernation time, so I really should be going to sleep soon…_

_But we've got a bunch of food for you if you do this! _Ash said. _Come on! Just stay awake until this is over and you've eaten the food._

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, _Sandshrew said, shaking his head to wake himself up and walking over to in front of Pocket Watch.

_I get the food too, right? _Growlithe asked from in front of Ash, tail rapidly swishing back and forth.

_Of course! _Ash answered. _What sort of battle are we practicing Poison Lance? Sport or fight?_

_This time let us do a fight were you and your opponent only have one pokémon each, _Poison Lance said. _Now, before we begin, what can you tell me about the matchup between these two pokémon?_

_Uh…. _Ash said, scratching the back of his head while he thought. There had been something about growlithes and sandshrews in the book _Local Pokémon of Northwestern Kanto_.

_Right! _The boy said when he recalled the information. _Growlithes are fire-types and sandshrews are ground types! That means growlithe will take extra damange from sandshrew's special attacks! But, sandshrews are lacking in the special attack power department. Growlithes are more average when it comes to defense against special attacks, so that reduces the effect of the type advantage._

The growlithe and the sandshrew looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes. The sandshrew shrugged.

_He's got me there, _the ground type said. _I usually hunt and fight using my claws._

_Well that's nice to know if I ever have to fight a sandshrew in the future, _the fire-type replied.

_Now, Ash, are you aware of the moves these two pokémon normally know? _Poison Lance continued questioning.

_Uh….. no, sorry, _Ash said, scratching the back of his head again. _Not off the top of my head._

_There is no shame in that, _Poison Lance reassured the boy. _But when it comes to your future team you should always do your best to memorize all of their possible maneuvers and moves. It would be good to take some reference materials with you; while you may ask your team about their abilities you will need a way to explain such knowledge to other humans._

_Okay, _Ash nodded. _What moves do you know Growlithe?_

_I can bite, I can breathe fire well enough that I can either do an Ember or a Flamethrower, and I can focus on my smelling well enough to qualify for, what did mom call it again? Oh, yeah Odor Sleuth, _Growlithe answered.

Ash nodded, thinking to himself. He noticed Sandshrew look back at Pocket Watch and Ash figured that they were having a mental conversation, probably going over what Sandshrew knew.

_Since this is a simulation of a battle for fighting rather than one for sport you will win if you can have Growlithe land a mock-attack on Pocket Watch or if you knock out Sandshrew. You will lose if Pocket Watch can do either to you. Growlithe, Sandshrew, both of you need to hold back. This is not a real fight and you should not use enough power to main or kill._

_Alright, _Growlithe said grinning and showing her sharp teeth. _Playfighting like I used to do to my brothers and sisters. Never lost one of those!_

_Well, there's a first time for everything, _Sandshrew said, opening his mouth to pant in the sandshrew equivalent of a grin.

_Begin! _Poison Lance shouted.

_Growlithe, Flamethrower! _Ash commanded. Flames rushed out of the fire-type's mouth, but the Sandshrew was already rapidly digging into the ground, escaping the flames.

_Odor Sleuth! _Ash shouted, jumping backwards on a hunch. He had guessed correctly, Sandshrew erupted out of the ground where the boy had been standing. Growlithe had started focusing on her sense of smell, using it to track the Sandshrew through the ground, and was already facing him when he re-appeared.

_Bite! _Ash shouted, before turning and running away from the Sandshrew. Sandshrew for his part started to chase after the boy at Pocket Watch's mental command. But Growlithe was a good bit faster than Sandshrew. Snarling her jaws latched onto his back, hard enough to hurt, but not to wound.

Sand exploded everywhere as Sandshrew unleashed a Sand-Attack. Growlithe flinched back, closing her eyes to protect them from the stinging grains. Sandshrew dove to the ground and fired off another Sand-Attack, this one aimed directly at Growlithe's nose. She yelped as stinging grains got in her nostrils and then started to sneeze. Finally, Sandshrew dove back into the ground, digging rapidly.

Growlithe's accuracy was now shot. Sand was in her eyes and nose. Sandshrew would be able to move about unimpeded. It looked like the battle was basically over, for outside of a lucky strike, there was no obvious way for Growlithe to hit Sandshrew. But Ash had an idea.

"Fire in the hole!" Ash shouted, grinning at his joke. _Flamethrower, big but not powerful, in the hole after him!_

Growlithe squinted at the hole and then stuck her head near the surface. An orange glow surrounded the entrance as she unleashed a torrent of flames into the underground tunnel.

_Hot, hot, hot, hot, ouch, ouch, ouch! _Ash heard Sandshrew shouting from beneath him. The boy jumped to the side just as the Sandshrew breached the surface, flames chasing him out of the hole and shooting skyward, a flame geyser.

Sandshrew took a moment to pat himself down. Ash took the opportunity to put the ground type between himself and Growlithe.

_Flamethrower at the sound of my voice! _Ash shouted. _And don't worry about me._

Growlithe unleashed another river of flames in Ash's direction at his command, washing over Sandshrew before he could react, and nearly missing Ash who threw himself to the side. He could feel the heat play over his skin and everything around him looked warped due from the haze.

_I give up! _Sandshrew shouted over the roar of the flames. Growlithe's mouth snapped shut, small streamers of fire jetting out of the sides of her mouth for a second before stopping.

_Good job Ash, _Pocket Watch congratulated the boy. _But, uh, next time maybe don't take so many risks? Please?_

_That was fun, _Growlithe said smirking, and trotting over to the Sandshrew. _Good fight._

_Thanks, _Sandshrew said, rubbing his shoulder and grabbing her to pull himself up. She just grinned wider and gave him a nip on the ear, eliciting a startled yelp.

_Time to eat! _Ash announced grinning. _Come on, food's this way!_

* * *

After they had eaten, and the wild pokémon had departed, Ash, Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl sat around a small fire.

_What did you learn from the battle today? _Poison Lance asked. Ash looked up at the cave roof, thinking.

_I don't think I learned too much new, _Ash said after a little while. _But I learned how important it is to keep moving if I don't have a pokémon dedicated to guarding me. I already knew that I should, but I didn't realize how fast things like Dig were._

_Anything else? _Poison Lance asked. Ash shook his head. _Then let us move on. Have you yet decided what is the most important thing in a battle yet?_

_No, _Ash said, shaking his head again. _I still haven't decided between you three yet. I know you- _he pointed at Flygirl- _think that speed and positioning are the most important things._

_If you can outmaneuver them then there's nothin' they can do, _Flygirl commented. _You've either trapped them or are attackin' from where they can't reach._

_And you- _Ash pointed at Pocket Watch- _think that power and a method to utilize it is the most important._

_You saw that principle in action during today's battle, _Pocket Watch said. _Even when blinded and sneezing Growlithe was able to overpower her opponent._

_And you- _Ash pointed now at Poison Lance- _think that having a plan is the most important thing in a battle._

_If you can compel your opponent to dance to your tune and follow the path you have set out for them, then victory is assured, _Poison Lance replied. _But you still have not decided? You still have come to no realization?_

What was he getting at? Ash knew he was missing something, but what was-

_What did Lucas say was the most important thing in battle? _Ash asked, wanting to smack himself in the forehead. Lucas was the thing that unified them; he had been the basis for their camaraderie; he had brought them together and in those war-torn days he had bound them into a team.

Poison Lance gave one of those invisible smiles of his, where one could only read it in the sides of his face and his eyes and his voice.

_That is the question we have awaited, _the weedle said. _But I must disappoint you. He never disclosed what he thought was most important in battle to us._

_Sometimes we were fast and beat the enemy from someplace where they couldn't touch us, _Flygirl said.

_Sometimes we just crushed them with powerful attacks, _Pocket Watch said.

_And rarely did Lucas lack a plan, _Poison Lance said. _I suspect he eventually learned after many years what was most important in battle but simply could not articulate the quality. You may learn on your journey, or you may not. It may require thought, or you may learn through instinct. The only thing that may bring this enlightenment is experience. You must go out and battle again and again until you have learned._

* * *

And so, the years passed. Studying and battling and simply living occupied Ash's days while they stayed near Lavender Town. His pokémon caretakes provided just about everything Ash needed, except one thing.

More and more Ash began to dwell on his memories of his human friends Jack and Shelly. They weren't clear memories, even though he was still a young child, too much time had passed since he had been **that** young. Nor were the memories particularly extraordinary. Ash sometimes wondered, in his rare introspective moods, if they were even true memories.

He didn't know why those memories had started to take up so much of his time. Something was missing, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Things were getting stranger. Ash had started to look forward to visits to the doctor even though there were the painful needles involved.

It wasn't until the beginning of summer in their third year in the cave that he realized what it was that was so strange; what it was that was bothering him.

Ash missed people. He even missed school, as dreary as his last year at that institution had been. During his rare interactions with his own species, such as visiting the doctor, he occasionally found it harder to talk, like he was forgetting the language.

He told this to his caretakers one night, while they were all visiting Mismagius in the Pokémon Tower.

_Hmmm… _Poison Lance's head was bowed in thought. _You are nearing what I believe to be the current age to become a trainer. It used to be ten years in Lucas's day, but now I believe it is eleven?_

_Twelve actually, _Mismagius corrected. _And there's gossip that they'll be raising it to fourteen in a few years._

_Why do they need to keep changin' it? _Flygirl asked. _Ten was good enough back in our day._

_Back in our day they needed trainers desperately, _Pocket Watch answered. _Now they can afford to take their time._

_What's the point of that? _Flygirl inquired.

_I think they're trying to avoid deaths, _Pocket Watch told her.

_More's the fool to them then. Death's the price of life. _Flygirl replied.

_True, but humans get all weird about the deaths of children, remember? _Pocket Watch asked.

_Well, everyone gets upset about their nest gettin' raided-_

_Humans get upset about the deaths of any human children, _Pocket Watch reminded her, _not just their own. And, keep in mind the current company; Poison Lance and I also picked up that trait from Lucas._

_Regardless of the reasoning, the point is that Ash is- _Poison Lance hesitated. They didn't know Ash's birth date and only had an approximate idea of his age. _Ash is certainly nearing the age of twelve, if he has not already reached it, though I am nearly certain it is your eleventh birthday coming up on us this fall. If you still desire to become a trainer-_

"Yes!" Ash replied instantly.

_Then it is nearly time for you to rejoin human society, _Poison Lance continued. _A final year of schooling would not go amiss. The question is where would be a good location for said final year?_

_It should be some place with a strong League presence, _Pocket Watch suggested, _but still have some wilderness._

_Somewhere in Kanto, _Flygirl, who would be providing transportation, added.

_Yes, yes, that would be appropriate, _Poison Lance said, nodding.

_I've got a great idea that you'll all hate, _Mismagius said. _Why not Pallet Town?_

_Entirely out of the question! _Poison Lance growled.

_Damned mystics and your stupid suggestions! _Pocket Watch said angrily.

_Are you tryin' to start a fight! _Flygirl shouted.

"Why Pallet Town?" Ash asked, curious.

_Word has it that there are a couple of new League facilities in the region, _Mismagius explained. _Evidently a former League Champion was upset about a violent incident that occurred there over half a decade ago._

"My- I mean, when the hunters came," Ash said, looking down.

_There's a small, but permanent League garrison there, _Mismagius went on. _Their official purpose is to protect the sea route to Cinnabar Island, but you can bet they also provide muscle to the police, and do some inland patrols. They've also got several outposts and waystations scattered about, so League personnel are constantly coming and going._

_Then the heightened security would make it inadvisable to try and slip Ash into a local school, _Poison Lance said. _Now, if you have a real suggestion-_

_Ah, but the security hasn't actually been heightened, _Mismagius grinned. _Civilian Life in Pallet Town and Viridian City is pretty much unchanged. The former champ doesn't have enough clout to put the place under martial law or anything._

_Do you know the name of this Champion? _Pocket Watch asked.

_It's Samuel Oak, though he's a professor now, _Mismagius answered. _Word is that he was close to your folks Ash._

_Does he have light brown hair? Often goes around in a lab coat? _Poison Lance inquired.

_Yep._

_We saw him there, the day after, _Poison Lance said. _Pocket Watch was unable to read his mind so we were unable to determine if he was-_

"My hunter," Ash finished.

_Correct. We figured he was high in the League, but no idea that he was a former champion. _Poison Lance continued. _As you are aware, we did find one member of the organization who attempted to abduct you at the ruins of the house. While we were not able to extract much information from the man, we did find out that he referred to his superior in the organization as his 'master'._

_It's not a common way for humans to think of each other in this day and age, _Pocket Watch added. _We figured that the man's boss would have to be someone important._

_Like a high-ranking member of the League, _Poison Lance finished. _Which a former champion certainly is._

_You thought it might be Oak? _Mismagius snorted. _I coulda told you it wasn't him. He used to have a thing with Agatha of the Elite Four, so there's usually one of us ghosts keeping an eye on him for her. He spends his days in his labs, or at boring conferences, or helping new trainers get started._

_So, he's safe then? _Flygirl asked. _We coulda just hung around Viridian Forest the last couple of years?_

_Maybe, maybe not, _Pocket Watch shrugged. _We only found out that they were after Ash specifically because I pulled it from someone's mind. Oak and the police wouldn't know that and they'd have no reason to believe us either._

_If only the fanatic had not committed suicide, _Poison Lance growled. _May Darkrai feed his twisted soul to Girantia._

_Well, for what it's worth, __I still think you made the right decision back then, _Mismagius said. _Ash's safe and whole now, which is the most important thing._

"So, Pallet Town's fine then?" Ash asked. "We can go to school there?"

_You like the idea of Pallet Town? _Poison Lance asked, blinking._ May I inquire as to why?_

"Because I want to tell my hunters to, uh, what's the word? Right." Ash nodded to himself. "I want to tell my hunters to fuck off. Even if they can't actually hear it. Uh, or even if I'm the only one who gets it."

_Personal symbols are important, _Mismagius told the human boy. _Don't underestimate their power. _She smirked. _Besides, that line of reasoning was why I suggested it in the first place. Prepare to become a pokémon trainer in the place where it all began, the origin of both your biological life and the life you know now._

_And then there's the reasoning of a mystic, _Pocket Watch said, rolling his eyes. _All symbols and personal meanings, nothing about practicalities._

"Well, I like it," Ash declared. "So, can we move to Pallet Town?"

_If that is what you want, _Poison Lance sighed, _then we shall do so soon._

* * *

AN: This is currently unbeta'd

Don't forget to review

Minor edits as of 6/7/2020

:AN


	6. Chapter 6

It took them a month to get from Lavender Town to the wilds surrounding Pallet Town. Flygirl was slower now that Ash was so much larger, she could have either carried him or Pocket Watch alone with no issues, but not the two of them together. So frequent rests were needed.

Being back in those woods made Ash feel strange. He had become used to the forests at the base of the mountains, to the early morning mists, the sharp bite of the chill in the air, and the constant presence of stone. The current forest didn't even have enough conifers.

There was no sign of Farfetch'd, Ninetales, or their children when the four of them returned to the forest. Ash didn't look too hard and his caretakers simply assumed that they had moved on to new pastures and forests.

Pocket Watch moved slowly and carefully, trying to be as thorough as he could when using his psychic powers to have Ash's paperwork filled out. He had already scouted out several of the League outposts and the League facility down by the sea. There he had seen the constant coming and going of all sorts of League personal, from Pokémon Rangers, to gym trainers, and even regional police officers. At least once Pocket Watch thought he might have seen some ice-type pokémon that might have belonged to Lorelei of the Elite Four.

_What should we use for your name this time? _Pocket Watch asked Ash, while the four of them were sitting together one night. _Keep in mind this is also probably the name that you will use as a pokémon trainer, he said, You might be using it for the rest of your life. _

_ Oh… uhhhhh, _Ash hesitated. It was a rather large decision. _Can I get a minute to think about it? _

_ We'll need a decision by tonight, _Pocket Watch told the boy. _Otherwise the paperwork might not be done in time. _

_ Crap. Uh….., _Ash looked around. _What was the first name you all gave me? _

_ Aaron Summers, _Flygirl answered.

_Summers was chosen as it was the current season, _Poison Lance added.

_Why'd you only change the last name? _Ash asked. _It's always been Aaron something or other now that I think about it…_

_ We desired that Aaron should be your true name from us, _Poison Lance explained, _as a certain human close to our hearts gave us true names from him. We hoped that Aaron would be a fitting tribute to a relative of his and a fitting gift to you. _

_ Errr…. Uh…. Thanks, _Ash said, looking down and blushing. _So, I take it this is just about the last name then? _

_ Correct, _Pocket Watch answered.

_Um…. Well if the first name I got from you guys was Aaron Summers, then since this might be the last time, I get a name from you guys, why not Aaron Autumns? _Ash suggested. _I can use that until its safe for me to use Ash Ketchum. _

Poison Lance and Pocket Watch gave each other a look. Neither of them knew if it would ever be safe to use the name Ash Ketchum again.

_Great! _Flygirl said, not noticing the other two. _Aaron Autumns it is then!_

* * *

Pocket Watch finished getting things arranged and all too soon Ash's first day of the fifth grade was approaching. His caretakers had made him do a large amount of review work leading up to this day to best prepare him.

Ash wondered what he had been thinking, wanting to go back to school. At least it would be a release from the hellish self-study he was forced to undergo.

Clouds covered the sky on his first day of fifth grade; Ash hoped it wouldn't be an omen for anything. Children milled outside of the large beige building, laughing and running, shouting, or just standing in line. Pocket Watch had told him which line he was in, the line for 5C.

Ash got in line, fidgeting nervously. It had been a very long time since he had been around that many other humans, even longer since he had been around that many humans his own age. He didn't know what to do with himself.

He got tired of standing and started walking around to relieve some of the nervous energy. Of course, since being around people was what was making him nervous, he ended up wandering away from most of the crowd. This meant that when everyone else got in line and the students started going inside, Ash almost missed it and had to run back to get in line, to the snickering of his classmates.

Red faced Ash followed the other children inside. Things didn't improve on the other side of the doors. All of the classes were being given a quick tour of the building and it kept confusing Ash. Twice he accidentally joined the wrong group; the first time he was able to quickly slip back to his class without his teacher noticing, but the second time the other teacher had to return him. This led to more snickering from his classmates.

Eventually they made it to their classroom and were assigned seats by alphabetical order. Ash ended up at the desk closest to the teacher.

"At least this way I can keep an eye on you Mr. Autumns," the teacher remarked and then the class laughed, while Ash stared down at his desk, red faced.

_I just had to ask for this, _Ash muttered under his breath.

"What was that Mr. Autumns?" The teacher asked. "Something you'd like to say to the class."

"It was-" Ash briefly forgot the word "uh…- it was no thing."

"I think you meant nothing," another boy said from near the opposite corner of the classroom. The boy had auburn hair and black eyes.

Ash winced and his face turned even redder. He was forgetting how to speak human. It had been getting harder for the last couple of years, but he had never forgotten something as basic as nothing.

"Thank you, Mr. Oak," the teacher said. "But in practice nothing is simply the words no and thing combined. There was 'nothing' particularly wrong with what Aaron had to say, other than pronunciation."

The class chuckled and Ash sunk his head into his arms on the desk.

* * *

Ash was able to avoid further embarrassment for the next couple of hours by not saying anything if he could help it. And when he couldn't avoid saying something, he tried to keep what he was saying short and simple. He still ended up forgetting some words; he forgot that the word for midday meal was 'lunch', that the word for a building or structure that housed books for borrowing was a 'library', and that the book that you could look up the meaning of words in was a 'dictionary'.

The worst part was that Ash knew that if he had written what he was trying to communicate instead of speaking it, there would have been no problem. He could read those words and knew how to spell them, how to write them. His studying had seen to that. It was only when speaking that he was having difficulties.

This did not endear him any further to his classmates, who kept laughing at him. Ash had to keep reminding himself that he had requested this; unlike his classmates who had been forced to come, Ash could have avoided his current predicament.

Eventually recess came and Ash hid in a nearly empty part of the school's playground. He buried his nose in a book about pokémon and hoped that no-one would bother him.

Nobody came to harass him, but a group of his classmates got into a loud argument nearby.

"I'm telling you that only an idiot would use a pachirisu in a real high-level battle," the auburn-haired boy with the last name of Oak said loudly. "It just doesn't have the stats to contribute anything in a battle that tough, not even if it's a multi-pokemon fight."

Ash remembered some pachirisu from his time in Canalave City. He had just read up on them too. There was something he had been speculating about, involving that species of pokémon, hadn't there…

"Why even that dolt Aaron would agree with me," the auburn-haired boy continued loudly, making Ash look up. "Right!"

Ash's first instinct was to quietly agree and then go back to his book, but the Oak boy was starting to irk him, and his dismissal of a species of pokémon that Ash had once known didn't help matters. Plus, Ash had finally remembered what he had been thinking about in regards to Pachirisus.

"No. Defense train a pachirisu- er, uh, I mean train a pachirisu for defense," Ash replied, "especially if it has Volt Absorb or Lightning Rod. Make sure it knows at least one damaging attack, and maybe a support attack like Nuzzle- "

"Oh, please," the Oak boy interrupted, "there's no way- "

"And then, this is the important thing," Ash continued, talking over the interruption, "is that you have to make sure the pachirisu is good enough at being distracting that it qualifies as the move Follow Me."

"Follow Me?" The Oak boy paused, and then pulled out a small book, leafing through it. "Is that a new move?"

"I don't know if it's new or not," Ash replied. "I think it's mainly from Hoenn or Sinnoh. Anyway, it's where the pokémon is so distracting that enemy pokémon instinctively attack it instead of what their trainer tells them to do. Certain pokémon can do this good enough to qualify it as a move."

"I did not know about that move," the Oak boy admitted, flipping through the book. "Ah, here it is. He's right guys. Sorry about that Leaf…."

"You better be Gary," girl with brown eyes and charcoal brown hair sniffed, Leaf evidently. "You basically called me a liar and my cousin an idiot." Gary blushed pink and the girl walked away with clenched fists, the crowd dissipating as she did so.

"Why'd you have to make me look bad man!" Gary complained, turning to Ash. "And where the hell did that come from? You've been acting like a total moron all day and then you pull that out of nowhere."

"Well, maybe you wouldn't have looked so bad if you hadn't been so- uh, um, arro-gaaant?" Ash said, trying to remember the word.

"See, you're acting like a moron again," Gary replied. "And you're reading a book. I figured that you'd be too stu- oh, wait, I see what's going on here."

"Huh?"

"You've got the bookworm disease and you've got it bad," Gary said, slapping his hand to his forehead. "You're used to reading words, not saying them. Ugh!"

"Ummmm…" Ash began.

"Right, right, I had it coming," Gary continued. "I made fun of you, so you made me look bad in front of Lea- I mean the class for revenge- "

"Well, I was madder about what you were saying about pachirisus," Aaron/Ash replied. "But the other stuff didn't do you any favors."

"Huh. Is it because you're interested in pachirisus or pokémon in general?" Gary asked, leaning down to look at the book Ash was reading. "Looks like pokémon in general."

"Yeah. I mean I'm going to be a trainer" Aaron/Ash said to the other boy. "You, uh, sorta need to be interested in pokémon to do that."

"Sure, but that doesn't mean you need to _read _about them," Gary replied. "Or at least all the time."

"What else is there to do until you can get your trainer's license?" Ash asked.

"Well, there's places you can borrow pokémon for practice battles," Gary told the other boy.

"I sorta did that," Ash replied. "Well- uh, er, I did practice battles at least…."

"Let me guess, you've either got a friend or a relative that's a trainer and they let you borrow their pokémon," Gary sighed.

"Yes!" Ash said. It was close enough to the truth and Ash didn't feel like explaining how he (or Poison Lance rather) borrowed pokémon from themselves for practice.

"It's not a great practice, at least according to gramps, but I don't think there's really anything wrong with it," Gary said. "But all the old timers get mad when you suggest it. What practice battles have you done?"

Recess passed by quickly as Ash and Gary talked about pokémon and practice battles. And the rest of the school day was far more tolerable. Ash was actually smiling when he left and not because the day was over.

_How was your first day of fifth grade, _Poison Lance after Pocket Watch picked up the boy and teleported them back to where they were staying in the forest.

_It was fun. I made a new friend!_

* * *

After so many years away from the institution Ash was finding school difficult. Difficult, but manageable. His knowledge on the subject matter they covered was inconsistent; he was often behind the class, but occasionally he was ahead of the rest of them. But, unlike with the self-study he had done previously, he could ask his teacher for help! She could explain how to do the problems, not just tell him to do them again and again until he got it correct like his caretakes had done.

Ash's teacher occasionally tried to talk with him about his previous years of education for some reason, but Ash was able to slip away without saying much. And she kept suggesting parent teacher conferences, leading to Pocket Watch having to wipe that idea from her mind, only for it to occur to her again for some reason. Ash found it confusing.

Still, it was a manageable problem, and a small price to pay to be amongst humans his own age again. He had fun talking about pokémon with Gary and some of the other children, though only Gary matched Ash's knowledge. Of course, it was strange when they talked about other things than pokémon, but most of the time they were happy to explain everything about the show or sport they liked.

Gary himself was strange. Sometimes he seemed normal; other times he made sure to grandstand, boast, and generally act over the top, generally when Leaf was around. This of course, led to some sarcastic comments from her, and then Gary ended up blushing and angry. Ash didn't get why Leaf was so often the trigger for these incidents. Maybe Gary wanted to have a pokémon battle with her as soon as they got their licenses?

And Leaf was behaving oddly as well. Whenever anyone got into an argument with Gary, she took their side against him. This upset Gary, but he seemed to get the most upset when he and Ash argued and Leaf took Ash's side, which was an increasingly common occurrence. Ash found this behavior from both Leaf and Gary confusing as well.

Maybe Leaf also wanted to have a pokémon battle with Gary when she got her license too? And, Ash wondered, she was just using other people as a proxy to poke Gary to provoke him into the battle with her? If so, couldn't they just talk it out like reasonable beings and then have the fight they wanted, possibly involving fire and electricity?

Humans were strange.

* * *

Ash made friends with some of the wild pokémon in the area. He often talked with a nidoran who lived near where they were staying, a spearow who occasionally passed through the area, and a caterpie who took a liking to him.

_What's like being so tall? _Caterpie asked Ash one day. _I bet it's really easy to get all the best leaves to eat. _

_ It might be, but I don't eat leaves, _Ash answered, tying his shoes. It was early in the morning and almost time to leave for school when Ash had just finished getting ready.

_Right, I forgot about that. What do you use the height for then? _Caterpie asked.

_I don't know. Reach things on shelves? _Ash shrugged.

_Why are things on shelves? _

_ So, they don't get dirty on the ground, I guess, _Ash replied. _I don't get it too much myself._

_ Huh. Humans are strange. _Caterpie said. _What's the point of being tall if you're only going to use it for weird things? _

_ I'm not actually that tall for a human, _Ash pointed out. _I'm still growing. Maybe I'll figure it out when I'm older. _

_ I know what I'd do with all that height. I'd hurry up and eat all the leaves off a tree, so I'd have enough energy to evolve into a metapod and then hurry up and turn into a butterfree! Said _Caterpie, raising himself up in excitement as he spoke.

_In a hurry to evolve? _

_ Maybe? Flying would be so awesome! But I don't want to be a metapod…. But I'd have less predators if I hurried up and became a butterfree….. _

Ash briefly froze up at that reminder.

_Err, have there been a lot of close calls lately? _Ash asked hesitantly.

_One fearow last month, but I got away safely, _Caterpie said nonchalantly. _Nothing since then, so it's been pretty good. _

_ Right…. _

_ So, what do you eat if not leaves?_

* * *

It was in March that things started to change. Many of Ash's classmates had registered for their trainer's license and the school offered extra classes to help qualify and prepare. Pocket Watch had arranged things so that Ash had been registered for a license. Or rather, Pocket Watch had engaged in an espionage campaign that lasted several months, to subvert the Kanto League bureaucracy in order to provide Aaaron Autumns with a valid trainer's license. One that would stand up to all checks, despite providing almost no truths to the bureaucratic process.

Ash and his peers would be taking the licensing exam come the end of April. In mid-March the school offered an extra-curricular field trip to a practice facility where students could have some practical lessons about catching pokémon, caring for pokémon, and battling with pokémon. All of the members of Ash's class who were planning on becoming trainers signed up; a list that included Gary, Ash, and Leaf.

Poison Lance, Flygirl, and Pocket Watch had gone over the basics of catching pokémon, so Ash knew that he probably wouldn't learn too much from that part of the lesson. But, for his whole life, pokémon had been caring for him, instead of the reverse, so he'd need to pay attention to the second portion of the trip. And for the final portion, well, it was always nice to pick up tips about battling.

It was a building on the outskirts of Viridian City, about a half hour bus ride from their school. It was a set of buildings next to a forest preserve, connected by raised walkways. Inside there were trainers, people young and old, nurses, and researchers. There was some group introductory speech where they went over their mission, something about researching pokémon, spreading knowledge, helping the next generation come to love pokémon, but Ash, and most of the other children, didn't pay it much attention. They just wanted to get to the pokémon.

First the staff went over the basics of how to use a pokéball. Then they went over the basics of finding wild pokémon and when it was acceptable to catch them. Generally speaking, it was safest to capture wild pokémon who challenged a trainer, rather than ones that attempted to attack a trainer without warning. Pokémon who challenged a human were generally willing to be trained, while ones who simply attacked would likely be sick or guarding something like newly hatched young. Generally, they would let up once a trainer withdrew.

It was also considered very bad form to capture pokémon who ran away from a trainer. Unless it was to capture as part of a research program that would later release the pokémon, or if it was to get a wounded pokémon medical care and then offer it the option of release, a trainer should never try to catch a fleeing pokémon. It was considered both unethical and impractical, the pokémon would resist attempts to train it.

Pokemon who attacked a trainer without provocation and pursued the trainer were considered dangerous. The staff told the class that if they found themselves in that situation, they either needed to subdue the pokémon or escape from the situation. After they escaped, they should report the pokémon to the authorities, so that the dangerous pokémon could be terminated.

Ash remembered Flygirl talking to him about the subject once. She mentioned that wild pokémon had learned not to attack humans because humans tended to retaliate in force.

_Ya either need to be desperate or plain crazy to attack a human, _she had said. _It means everyone's gonna have to start watching out for huntin' parties. _

Next, they had the class run through a few exercises, where they threw mock pokéballs at targets. After that they moved onto lessons about caring for pokémon. The staff instructed the class on what sorts of pokémon might need grooming, what pokémon might eat what food, and how to feed shy or difficult pokémon.

_Why do I have to pretend that I don't want food? _One ekans involved in the demonstrations complained. _What sort of pokémon refuses free food? _

_Hah! You had to play the reluctant pokémon again! _Mocked a spearow happily chowing down on a pile of food. _Ah, this is the life. Just sitting around, getting groomed, getting free food, and doing a little light battling…. _

_ I'm going to get you for this later, _the ekans replied, before finally being allowed to accept food from the instructor.

Ash got some strange looks for giggling at the pokémon's antics.

After that they were allowed to feed and groom some of the pokémon. Ash got to feed and groom an elekid.

_A little higher, a little higher, _the small yellow and black plug like pokémon told him as Ash brushed its fur.

_Sure. This good? _Ash said with a smirk as he complied.

_Yes… that's the spot, _the elekid's eyes closed in satisfaction for a moment and then they snapped back open. _Did you just speak properly? _

"Maybe," Ash replied with a grin.

* * *

Finally, the moment many of the children had been waiting for: the practice battles. The instructors organized a small tournament where the children would battle against each other. They would be given a random pokémon and a piece of paper with the pokémon's abilities for each match.

Ash won his first two matches, once with a Jigglypuff against a pidgey, and once with a sandshrew against a growlithe, in an interesting turn of events. And then his third match came, and it was against Gary Oak.

"It's you versus me!" Gary shouted from across the field, grinning. "No mercy Aaron! I'm going to beat you!"

"Never!" Aaron (Ash) shouted back, also grinning. "Let's go!"

They were given their pokéballs and went to their ends of the field, where they could get in plexiglas booths to keep them safe while the battle happened. White light blazed on each end and their pokémon appeared.

Ash had a ratatta. Gary had a snorlax.

"Stop!" The instructor shouted to both children before they could begin. "Sorry, Snorry just evolved and it looks like we forgot to take him out of the rotation. This is an inappropriate matchup, so we'll have to replace your pokémon Mr. Oak."

_Ah…. _Snorry said, head and shoulders slumping. _I wanted to fight Rattata again. _

_ Maybe once they move me up into the next rank, _the rattata replied. _Then we can finally break our tie…. _

"Wait," Ash shouted before the staff could withdraw the snorlax. "They look like they want to fight. We should let them do this."

"Are you trying to come up with an excuse for your inevitable loss?" Gary shouted back. "Going to blame it on the unfair matchup?"

"You're fine with this?" The instructor asked Ash. "You know this means you're probably going to lose."

"I'm fine with it if they are," Ash replied. "Just ask them if they want to battle each other."

"Rattata, Snorry, do you two want to do this?" The instructor asked.

_Yes! I want to break our tie! _The snorlax said, nodding so the human would understand.

_Of course! Can't let Snorry get a big head just because he evolved! _Rattata replied. She also nodded, _I'm going to have to keep him humble. _

"Alright then," the instructor said.

By this time the other children, including Leaf, noticed that something was going on with Gary and Aaron's battle and had gathered around, standing at the sidelines, behind the stadium walls and nets.

"You shouldn't do this," Leaf said, going up to Gary, who hadn't gotten in his booth yet. "It's unfair! And the rattata so small! It might get hurt."

"Nah!" Gary replied. "They do this too often to hurt each other seriously and if Aaron wants to give me an easy win then that his prerogative. And if that rattata is stupid enough to want to fight a snorlax, then it deserves what's about to happen to it!"

"Gary!" Leaf protested.

"Ha, watch, it won't even take me ten seconds to win this!" Gary bragged, looking ahead at Ash. Leaf growled, clenched her fists, and then stamped away to the sidelines. She turned around.

"Go Aaron!" She shouted. "Teach that bully a lesson!" Upon hearing that, Gary's face went through several different positions, before settling on a severe glare directed at Ash.

The children on the sidelines began to shout, moving to different ends of the field, shouting their support for either Gary or Ash.

"Maybe you two should take a minute to think things through," the instructor suggested. "Tell me if you still want to continue."

"Fine!" Gary said. "I'm going to win even if I have to use a different pokémon."

Ash nodded, already thinking of a strategy. He knelt by Rattata. There was a burst of memory as Ash recalled Tail in the Grass, and then shook his head. This rattata was bigger and a different shade of purple.

_Quick question, _Ash whispered. _Are the moves on the paper all you know? Do you know any that haven't been recorded? _Rattata jumped and then looked at Ash.

_Did you just speak properly? _The purple pokémon asked.

_Yes, but later. Here's a better question. Do you know Sucker Punch, Quick Attack, Hyper Fang, and Double Team? _

_ Yes, _Rattata answered.

_ Okay, I can work with that, _Ash said, glancing at his watch. Thirty seconds left. _So, here's the deal. As soon as the fight begins just open up with Sucker Punch and then Double Team. Then I'll start giving you commands. _

_ Sure, _Rattata shrugged. _Honestly, I don't know if I can take him now that he's evolved but I've got to try. And maybe I stand a chance if I'm working with a strange human who can speak properly. _

"Time's up!" The instructor shouted. "Aaron, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," the boy said, standing up and nodding. "Let's go!"

The children cheered.

"Alright," the instructor said. "On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

The battle was joined.

"Snorry, Ice Punch!" Gary shouted, but Rattata was already moving. She knew how to move too quickly for an opponent to react to and how to target the vulnerability that appeared when a pokémon was preparing an attack well enough for it to qualify as a move, the move Sucker Punch.

She slammed into the large pokémon's elbow, bending it the wrong way just enough to hurt, and then bounced off that into Snorry's exposed armpits, biting at the spot where the armor of fat was thinnest.

Snorry shouted in pain, but Rattata was already jumping away, and then there were two Rattatas as she used Double Team.

"Body Slam them both!" Gary ordered.

"Quick Attack around him!" Ash shouted at the same time. With a grace and power that belied his size and slothful appearance the snorlax took to the air and came down like an asteroid after pre-historic species. But Rattata, both her and the illusion, used Quick Attack to dash around the incoming meteor.

Using Quick Attack to dodge was risky. Usually pokémon could only easily slow down by ramming into another pokémon, and thus if they used it without a target, or missed, they could end up out of position. Not only that, it was also a tiring move. If used to often it could exhaust an unprepared pokémon.

But Ash knew that he and Rattata would have to take some risks if they wanted to win. He just hoped she was up to the task.

Rattata skidded to a halt on the left side of the field, nearly losing her balance. Her illusion on the right side had no such difficulties given that it didn't actually have to deal with kinetic energy.

"The real one's on the left!" Gary shouted. "Fire Punch this time!"

Hmm, that was a potential flaw with Double Team and Ash's evasive stratagem. But Ash thought he might be able to figure out a trick with that as well….

"Another Double Team!" Ash shouted and a third Rattata was on the field. "And dodge!"

The three purple pokémon, real and unreal scattered, before the snorlax's fiery fist. The new illusion didn't quite move fast enough and was snuffed out, vanishing beneath the big pokémon's paw, a ring of fire radiating out from the ground at the point of impact.

"Quick Attack him and then dodge back with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

"Enough with the stupid Quick Attacks already!" Gary shouted, clenching his fists in frustration as the two remaining Rattatas slammed into the snorlax at the same point and then bounced away. Ash grinned when he saw that Rattata had switched place with her illusion several times, hiding which one of the purple pokémon was the real one.

"Snorry, Ice Punch and Fire Punch at the same time! Catch it between your fists so it can't dodge!" Gary shouted.

Snorry rushed forward, surprisingly fast, one hand sheathed in ice, the other in flame, spread out to catch both Rattatas. Ash glanced upwards at the beams and lights overhead, trying to do some quick mental calculations.

"Quick Attack to the ceiling!" Ash ordered.

_Good call! _Rattata replied, before she and her duplicate launched themselves upward, barely avoiding the elemental fists. Steam erupted where the two fists met and the Snorlax shouted in pain.

_Ouch! That steam is painful! _Snorry said. _But you know what! This is turning out to be a really good fight! _

_ I know, right! _Rattata said excitedly from the stadium ceiling. _I'm glad we got to do this! _

"Arrgh. No Hyper Beam to get it down!" Gary growled. "But Aaron, are you just going to hide all day? Might as well forge-"

"Quick Attack into Hyper Fang!" Ash interrupted. Rattata and her duplicate blurred out of sight again, only to reappear on Snorry's shoulder, shining fangs sinking into the snorlax. Since this was a battle for sport, rather than one with death on the line, Rattata focused the extra power into her front fangs, but made sure to purposefully blunt the teeth, rather than sharpen them.

Snorry flinched backwards, falling onto his back. Rattata bounced off and then looked back at Aaron for further instructions.

"Rattata, get back here for three seconds!" Ash shouted, while the snorlax picked itself up. Rattata obeyed, running back with her double in tow as fast as she could.

_Here's what you're going to do, _Ash whispered as fast as he could through the plexiglass. _Quick Attack dodge again, but this time do your best to keep your balance and have the double trip. _

_ Got it, _Rattata replied, before running out onto the field again.

"Body Slam again!" Gary shouted. "Just hit one of them this time!"

"Double Team and Quick Attack dodge!" Ash shouted. Another duplicate joined the field and then blurred out of sight with her sisters. But Snorry was able to guess where one of the Rattatas would go and slammed down on one. A ring of dust rose from the point of impact, but then the other two rattatas came to a stop.

This time the one on the right nearly lost her balance, while the one on the left kept it. Both the copy and the real one were breathing heavily, having used so many Quick Attacks, so close together.

"It's the one on the right this time! Ice Punch!" Gary shouted. Once again Snorry's fist was covered in ice and he rushed the rattata on the right.

"Hyper Fang!" Ash shouted.

Ice shattered on the ground as Snorry's fist passed through the illusion. Once again shining fangs sank into fat, but this time Snorry was off balance from the punch and his head was slammed into the ground, throwing up another ring of dust.

Rattata bounced off the snorlax, who in turn bounced back from the ground. But, before Rattata could land, Snorry tipped backwards, arms flailing, and accidently swatted Rattata out of the air. She flew like a shuttlecock from a badminton racket, folded up around the point of impact, and slammed into the stadium wall. She didn't get up.

Ash looked back at Snorry, lying on his back. He wasn't getting up either.

"Both pokémon are unconscious! We have a tie!" The instructor said. "I did not see this coming. Good battle Gary and Aaron!"

Their classmates erupted in a cacophony of exuberant cheers and disappointed moans at the result.

"Serves you right you jerk!" Leaf shouted at Gary.

"You couldn't even beat a rattata with a snorlax!" Another classmate shouted. And more children started yelling insults and congratulations to the pair of battlers. But Gary didn't seem to hear them. He had started looking down after Leaf's shout, right fist clenched in front of him, arm shaking. He looked back up at Aaron, eyes lidded in a glare and held out the fist at him.

"From now on we're not friends!" Gary Oak shouted. "We're rivals now!"

* * *

Ash hadn't been sure how Gary's declaration of rivalry would change things. But it turned out that it simply meant that Gary always had an argument or a competition when the two of them hung out together. It was actually a lot of fun! At least Ash had fun whether he won or lost. Gary seemed to get angry whenever he lost, especially if Leaf was around.

April arrived and the trainer's exam approached. Ash and his classmates who also hoped to become trainers studied furiously for the exam all month. Then the exam came, and it was nowhere as hard as they feared. When the results were announced three days later it turned out that they had all passed.

Next the children had to get their photos taken and were issued the physical licenses, though they wouldn't valid for a few more months. After that the children had to register with a local league facility to receive their starter pokémon; most of Ash's classmates choose the Viridian gym, but Gary pulled Ash aside.

"Since you're my rival you should get your starter pokémon from the best!" Gary declared. "You should get your starter from my gramps!"

"Who's that?" Ash asked.

"You don't- "Gary blinked a few times and then shook his head. "Never mind. He's Professor Oak. He's a former League Champion."

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "He's your grandpa? That's cool! Does he still have his team?"

"No, he released most of them," Gary answered. "He has a couple, but most of the pokémon he has are for research. But his lab is a place where you can get a starter pokémon. I'm going to get mine there, so you better do so as well! That way you can't complain when I beat you!"

"Okay," Ash answered casually, causing Gary's left eye to briefly twitch. "What sorts of pokémon does he give out as starters?"

"All sorts," Gary replied. "Including some really weird choices, but it seems to work out. Look, just come to Pallet Town on Thursday after school and talk to him. I'll tell him that you're heading over to get registered and why."

"Sure!"

* * *

When Thursday came a very nervous Pocket Watch teleported Ash to Pallet Town and then went and hid in a hole, behind dozens of psychic camouflages. Flygirl circled overhead, also nervous at the prospect of Ash meeting the pokémon professor.

He walked to the edge of town, down by the coast, and came to a gentle and green hill, forested on one side, with a dirt path leading up to a half-cylinder building with a rectangular protrusion, with a windmill behind it. He went up the path and rang the doorbell.

A minute or so later the door opened and an old man with grey brown hair, a face with chiseled features, and wearing a white lab coat opened the door.

"Aaron Autumns?" He asked, to which Ash nodded. "Gary told me that you'd be coming. Head on in, would you?"

They went inside and Oak led the boy to his lobby.

"Tea?" The professor offered.

"I'll try some," Ash replied. He knew that humans were supposed to like tea, but he had never had any before.

"Just a few minutes," the professor said, before departing. A few minutes later he came back with two steaming cups of tea.

"So, uh, is there any, uh…. Um, paperwork! Paperwork I need to fill out?" Ash asked.

"There's some, but first I thought we should have a chat," Oak said, handing Ash one of the cups. "I like to do that with everyone who's going to get their first pokémon from me."

"Okay," Ash replied, before taking a sip of the tea. It was bitter in a way that made Ash frown, but it was warm and soothing, and Ash found that he didn't hate it.

"So, Aaron, tell me a little about yourself," Oak said, sitting down and taking a sip from his own cup.

"Uh… like what?" Ash asked, not sure to begin.

"Well let's start with the obvious. Why do you want to be a pokémon trainer?"

"I like pokémon," Ash answered, shrugging. "I'm good with them too. And it's fun helping them fight. I want to travel and being a trainer is a good way to do that."

"Oh? Helping them fight?"

"Well, a lot of them really like to fight," Ash said. "If they don't have to worry about eating or being eaten, pokémon usually want to have a play fight. Being a trainer is basically giving them play fights and helping them get better at it."

"That is true of many pokémon," Oak admitted. "Those aren't bad reasons to want to become a trainer. But what would you do with your trained pokémon when you're older?"

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, tilting his head in puzzlement.

"Well, pokémon trainers generally use their teams to make a living when they're older," Professor Oak explained. "Maybe leasing out their pokémon to construction companies to help with heavy lifting, or helping ferry goods, or maybe helping farmers, or mining, or hundreds of other things that different types of pokémon can help with."

"Others join the League as a League trainer," Oak continued, "and either join a gym, or some task force like the Rangers. We've got a squad of the Kanto League Ocean Defense force stationed here in Pallet Town for example."

"So, Aaron, my question is, do you know what you would do with your pokémon when you're older?" Oak asked again.

"I'd have to see what my pokémon want to do," Ash answered with a shrug. Oak smiled at that answer.

"That's a good answer. Next question. Do you know how you would deal with a disobedient pokémon?"

"Uh…." Ash hesitated for a moment, trying to remember what disobedient meant, before answering, "I'd talk to it. Try to understand why it doesn't want to listen. Try to prove myself to it."

"And if it still doesn't listen?" Oak asked.

"Well then I'd see if it wants to be released or go with someone else," Ash said, shrugging again and drinking some more tea. He didn't know why Oak was asking the question; in Ash's experience if a pokémon had a problem with you they'd just tell you. Of course, if Ash had stopped to think about it, he would have realized that his experience was nowhere close to universal.

"Okay. One more question. And please be as honest as you can with this one. What would you do if you came across someone in danger, say they were under by a rampaging pokemon?" Oak asked.

"Hide. Plan. Distract." Ash answered instantly. "Hide so they don't know I'm there. Figure how many there are and where they are. Come up with a plan to uh, lure them away from the person being attacked, and how to best to get away."

Oak froze for a moment.

"That's a bit- Are either of your parents in the League or a member of the police?" Oak asked.

"Sort of," Ash answered.

"Interesting." Oak said, taking another sip of tea. "That would certainly explain some things. I'd like to meet them one day."

"They're sort of scared of you," Ash replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't really get it myself since they used to be in the League and didn't do anything bad- "

"Maybe they saw my team in action back when I was the Champion," Oak said with a smirk. "Most of my team is gone, but I've still got a couple of them left." The smirk vanished from his face and he sighed. "Not that it's enough." He stared down into his teacup.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked.

"No. I'm an old man." Oak answered, sighing again. "Don't worry about, just thinking on my failures. I guess it's about time to have you fill out the paperwork. I'll be giving the starting pokémon out starting at nine o'clock in the morning on July 16th, so make sure to be there on time Aaron."

* * *

Summer approaching, bringing with it the end of school and the eventual start of Ash's journey. His teacher had to try extra hard to keep her class under control as all the would-be trainers were distracted by thoughts of their upcoming journeys, and if she let them, would do nothing but talk about it all day.

Of course, the would-be trainers had three hours of extra class each day. It was a possibility that for some of the children, it was the last year they would be in school. Their teachers took their last opportunity to cram their student's heads with classes on accounting, health, sex-ed, how to deal with taxes, general lessons on bureaucracy, and the basics of wilderness survival. Not even the extra classes could dampen the spirts of the soon to be pokemon trainers, though they made a good attempt.

At the same time Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl all began reviewing/grilling Ash on everything he would need to know for the journey.

_Why don't we just go with him, for a little way at least? _Flygirl suggested one day while going over how to deal with inclement weather. _Just to make sure he's safe. _

_ We can't do that, _Pocket Watch replied. _Unless Ash wants us to. Do you Ash? We could follow you until-_

_ No, _Ash answered. _If I'm going to be a real pokémon trainer and get stronger, then I've got to do this on my own. _

_ Well said my boy, _Poison Lance interjected. _Though it may not hurt for us to be nearby-_

_ No! _

Pocket Watch began to stockpile supplies that Ash might need. A small tent, winter clothes, a large hiking backpack, a new blue short sleeved jacket, a blue winter jacket, a couple of hats for different weather conditions, some basic utensils for cooking in the wilderness, maps, reference books on pokémon, and other such things. He didn't steal any money and Ash never asked him to.

Flygirl began to alternate between hovering over Ash's shoulder and going on long flights to scout the area around them. She bothered Pocket Watch to steal books about weather for Ash, so that the boy wouldn't be taken surprise by what the sky might bring. She also began to bring Ash extra food for dinner, all sorts of fish, berries, and acorns.

_You never let me eat this much usually, _Ash said to her one night after a dinner of cooked fish.

_I've got to make sure that- that- that you're big enough to leave the nest, _she replied, tearing up. _Are you sure ya want to become a trainer now? Why not wait a year? _

_ Everyone else is starting this year! _

_ Well if everyone else didn't jump off a cliff when a predator was coming would you?_

_ No, I wouldn't! I can't fly! _Ash protested.

Poison Lance, for his part, was quieter. Ash occasionally caught the weedle staring at him, an odd expression on the bug-type's face. Poison Lance made it a point to go on some walks with Ash through the woods, the human boy now large enough to carry the elderly pokémon.

_The time for farewells is fast approaching, _the weedle said on one such walk. _I must confess that even though I knew said day would eventually arrive I cannot comprehend how swiftly it did so. _

_ Well… _Ash rubbed the back of his head. Swiftly? It felt like it had taken an eternity to reach the current time and that wasn't even the day in question! _I guess? _

_ Ah, youth, _Poison Lance sighed. _How it is wasted on the young, who do not know that they should savor each minute, hour, and day. _

_ Hey! _

_ Oh, are you still paying attention? I thought this conversation might have been taking too long and your mind had wandered. _

_ Yes, yes, we can't all be walking fossils like you, _Ash replied, eliciting a chuckle from the weedle.

_But in all seriousness the day is coming too fast for my liking, _Poison Lance went on. _It seems like just yesterday you were a helpless thing demanding berry mash. _

_ Well, it's a good food-_

_ And now here you are, almost a trainer, _Poison Lance continued. _I will miss you Ash. _

_ We've still got more than a month left, _Ash replied. _And it's not like I'm going away forever. I'll still come back and visit. _

_ I hope that you do. _

Time passed and the fifth grade ended. Ash managed pass with Cs and Bs, while Gary and Leaf were tied at the top of the class.

"Hah! This one goes to me! Take that Aaron!" Gary declared on the second to last day of school, after they had gotten their results back.

"Good job!" Ash replied happily, making Gary's left eye twitch. "Oh, and good job Leaf!"

"Thanks Aaron," the girl replied with a smile, before turning to Gary. "Aren't you going to try and claim that you beat me as well? Or don't you want to admit that I'd have the best grades if the teacher hadn't thrown out the first long division test for being too hard!"

Gary and Leaf argued while Ash wondered why Gary didn't declare **her** his rival.

Everyone said their goodbyes the next day, the class had a party, and then school was over. Ash went back to the forest, the others went back to their homes, and everybody with a trainer's license began to obsess over their upcoming journey.

June and the first half of July came and passed both far too slowly and far too quickly for Ash and his caretakers. Each day dragged on, but weeks passed quickly in a maddening paradox. They all prepared as best they could, going over their preparations again and again, looking for anything that could be done better.

And then the day arrived.

* * *

AN: I'd like to apologize for stealing the bit about pachirisus from Se Jung Park, the 2014 Pokemon World Champion.

This chapter goes a bit into what exactly constitutes a 'move' in the pokemon world. Hyper Beam and Fire Spin are easy to quantify, but what about Sucker-Punch and Follow Me? How exactly are they moves? What makes them more special than just being distracting or punching someone real hard when they don't expect it?

I'll try to answer the question to a great extent within the story, but for now I'm going with the idea that if a pokemon is **really good** at being distracting or hitting someone hard when they don't expect it, then it counts as a move.

I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

Don't forget to review.

:AN


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Surprise:AN

* * *

While Ash was waiting for the start of his journey in the wilds in south-west Kanto things were stirring elsewhere.

It was appropriate that the facility was literally underground, as the organization that owned it had been forced underground in the figurative sense as well. Few knew where it was. The organization who had once almost conquered Kanto was no longer able to rely on strength to protect themselves. Secrecy was their watchword now.

Once Team Rocket had been presumed itself to be the heir to the legacy of civilization in Kanto, the heir to the legacy of old world that had been shattered in the Great War that had engulfed the planet. Now they were criminals, subsisting on theft, and hiding from their foes.

Yet, they still had pride. Red Rs were emblazoned all over the interior of the facility, over walls, machinery, and uniforms.

There were few grunts here. Transporting them was a logistical headache; the grunts had to kept asleep when being sent to the underground facility so that they couldn't reveal its location. Instead, the place was for the high-ranking members of Team Rocket. Elite trainers, top scientists, and executives resided in the underground facility.

On one particular day many of the executives, heads of their divisions, were gathered in a conference room.

It looked like any other conference room. A long table covered in coffee cups and notepads. A projector. People sitting every which way and making small talk while they waited for the meeting to begin. The only thing that set it apart from any other meeting was the uniforms. They were primarily black with white, or white with black, except for the red Rs emblazoned on their chests.

A man walked in, a persian pacing in beside him. Unlike the others he was not wearing a uniform, instead he was dressed in a charcoal gray suit. He was a large man, but fit; if one looked closely, they could see the occasional hint of muscle concealed by the suit. He had slick jet-black hair and black eyes that glinted with a dangerous light. He was Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket.

"I see we could all could make it today. Good. Then let us begin." Giovanni addressed the room, taking his place at the head of the table. "Today is an important day in the history of our organization. Today marks the day where we begin to move out of the shadows. We once more begin moving towards the day when we shall take our rightful place as the rulers of Kanto, and from there, re-unite the country and the world itself!"

He held out a remote, pressed a button, and the projector turned on.

"Operation Stolen Fire." Giovanni said to the assembled executives, standing before said title. "Most details will be released on a need-to-know basis, but I can share the broad operational details."

"First, two efforts will begin concurrently." Giovanni continued and the presentation moved onto another slide. "One, we will gather as much psychic power as we can. Stealing trained pokémon is a priority, but we will also collect wild pokémon with any degree of psychic power in bulk. Caterpies from the Viridian Forest, for example, are a good candidate. With a little effort they can be turned into butterfrees with mild psychic potential, and are very common."

"Two, we will track down some persons of interest and eliminate them." Giovanni went on, gesturing as the slides changed again. "The identities of these individuals are need to know only. However, I can assure you that none of them have ever been directly affiliated with us."

"While those are ongoing, we will prepare Operation: Thought-Leech," Giovanni went on, turning to look at one executive in particular. "Archer is responsible for that operation."

The executive in question, a man in a white Rocket uniform with pale green hair stood up.

"While I can't share too much information about Operation: Thought-Leech," Archer said to the room as the presentation clicked onwards, "I can tell you that it will be of immense symbolic value to Team Rocket. Everyone should prepare whatever active combat forces they have for a possible return to Saffron City. I will have more details on this in a little bit."

Smirks and raised fists met that announcement, along with various calls of affirmation or anticipation.

"However," Archer continued, turning to address another executive "with the advent of Operation: Stolen Fire, Operation: Thought-Leech has taken a secondary position to Operation: Totality under Ariana."

Archer sat down, and the executive he had addressed in turn, a woman with chestnut red hair stood up.

"Operation: Totality is a top-secret operation of the utmost priority that will take place in Saffron City after Operation: Thought-Leech begins," she said to the room. "Its success is critical to the success of Operation: Stolen Fire. I will be requisitioning resources from each of your divisions to make sure that it works out. I'll have more details for you in a few minutes."

She sat down and Giovanni began speaking again.

"While Operation: Totality is technically the only thing absolutely required for the success of Stolen Fire, our other operations are still critical, as they will greatly increase the odds that Stolen Fire will succeed. And, if we can make Stolen Fire succeed then we will have acquired an asset that will allow us to dominate Kanto." Giovanni told the assembled executives. "So, I will need everyone to give Ariana all the resources she needs."

"Well," one of the executives spoke up, "she can have my zoroark, but my office printer is off-limits."

"I'll get it one day," Ariana replied with a smile. "Just you wait."

There were scattered chuckles from around the room and a small smile from Giovanni.

"Now, onto the specifics of the non-classified parts of the operation," Giovanni said. "We'll need to figure out who can provide what when it comes to acquiring psychic muscle. I'll also need the Research Division to work with Tracking to identify the persons of interest so we can eliminate them."

"As long as research doesn't have another mix up like the Jen and Jan thing again." The head of tracking said. "We killed ten secretaries named Jen before they told us that our target was a Jan. The Acquisition Department's Blackmailing and Extortion team was on our ass for a month about that."

"Well, you got to kill one of your exes, so you couldn't have been too mad."

"And I sent you a bottle of saké as thanks. But you didn't send _me _anything for having to put up with Acquisitions…"

"Luckily for you both, we have more precise information on our targets this time," Giovanni interrupted. "So, you shouldn't need to strain yourself by killing extra people."

"Thanks boss."

* * *

Later, after the meeting had concluded, Giovanni retired to a darkened sitting room. It came complete with a fireplace already hosting a small fire. He poured himself a small glass of an alcohol expensive enough that generally only the few who could afford it had heard of it and then took a seat, his persian curling up beside him.

The leader of Team Rocket took a sip from the glass and then stared into the fire. He sat there for a while, deep in his own thoughts, until two more people entered the room, Archer and Ariana. Giovanni took no notice until Ariana cleared her throat.

"Apologies," the boss said, turning his head, "I didn't notice you enter. Feel free to have a seat."

"Thanks boss," Archer said, taking a seat. "I know you can't share everything with us, but we've got some questions we felt like we couldn't ask at the meeting."

"And I would rather not risk violating classification- "Ariana began, before Giovanni interrupted.

"It's fine. I understand. I'll tell you what I think is safe," Giovanni answered. "Keep in mind that I've asked several of the other executives and department heads to keep some operation details from me, so there are some things that I cannot answer even if I wanted to."

"That's fine," Archer said. "I'm not worried about operational details. Rather I'm worried about timing. I've got a couple of guesses as to the end goal of what Stolen Fire might, and what Operation: Totality might be after-"

"Oh? How'd you do that?" Ariana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ariana, I've got people all over Saffron in preparation for Operation: Thought-Leech, especially in Silph Co. I know about a certain project they've been working on." Archer answered. "But I also know that there's been no news on that front. The thing's stalled, or so I thought."

"I see." Giovanni gave a small grin. "Yes, it is quite suspicious. There's been no word of a breakthrough on the Masterball project on the official records of Silph Co and yet, that's only thing that's worth targeting for Operation: Totality."

"So, Ariana is going after Masterball technology," Archer said. "But why wasn't there anything in the official records?"

"As far as I can tell, they judged it a security risk to record the true progress of the project in their official documents," Giovanni informed him. "I'm sorry I didn't inform you about the alternate source of- "

"Boss, you got a hole in your side and nearly got caught by the League pulling my three-quarters dead ass out of that swamp," Archer interrupted. "You don't need to apologize to me for anything."

"Seven-eighths dead," Ariana added. "I remember all the blood I had to clean off my uniform after that day."

"Yes, I remember," Giovanni said, smirking. "I believe that I promoted you both simply so we could avoid the cost of cleaning those two uniforms. Anyway, I have a few personal sources of information in Silph Co., but to be honest they didn't know about the advances in Masterball technology until I told them to dig for it."

"Did you have them dig on a hunch?" Ariana asked, her eyes narrowing. "Or was there something else."

"Yes, there was," Giovanni said, his smirk vanishing. "We received an 'anonymous' tip about the breakthroughs."

"Not actually 'anonymous' I take it," Archer said, leaning back in his seat.

"No, it was," Giovanni answered. "We still have no concrete evidence as to the source of the information. But we were able to find out that other organization were told about it as well. Team Magma, Team Aqua, and Team Galactic."

There was silence for several seconds while Archer and Ariana mulled over the information.

"Someone's trying to start something," Archer finally said. "But who?"

"Do we know if any of those teams have any current designs on Masterball technology?" Ariana asked.

"I don't know," Giovanni replied. "I've increased our counter-espionage efforts and had several wilderness outposts set up in Kanto and Johto in case they decide to make any efforts against us. But they're not my biggest concern."

"Your biggest concern is whoever leaked the information in the first place," Archer concluded. "And we've got no idea who they are?"

"Nothing concrete," Giovanni answered. "But I suspect that they're based in Unova. There's been a power vacuum in the underworld for too long in that region. Someone must have taken power by now, but there's been no word on who. And as long as I'm speculating without concrete information, then I'm also guessing that they've been there for longer than we thought, keeping up the appearance of a power vacuum so that they can operate un-detected."

"So, what are we going to do about them boss?" Archer asked.

"Nothing yet," Giovanni answered. "If we can pull of Operation: Stolen Fire, then it won't matter who they are, or what they're up to. With the power we will achieve, nothing will be able to stop us."

* * *

AN:

I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading this chapter.

It was too short for the weekly update, but I wanted this chunk to be it's own chapter, so I'm releasing it today.

Minor edits as of 6/8/2020

:AN


	8. Chapter 8

In the area around Pallet Town, the day finally arrived. A bright yellow sun shone down on the green forest in the height of summer, while the breeze coming from the sea carried the faint scent of salt. Flying-types chirped under a blue sky dotted with clouds.

Ash had been awake before the sun rose, going over his preparations yet another time. All the stolen clothes, food, and utensils had been packed. Then unpacked and then packed again so that he'd know that everything was there and the quickest way to pack it. He had gone over food gathering with Poison Lance and gone over how to guess at the weather from Flygirl. Finally, he had eaten a quick breakfast at dawn, while his caretakers sat around quietly.

_Today's the day, _Pocket Watch finally said as Ash was putting on his hiking backpack and rubbing at some dirt that was smudged on his cheeks. The lightly tanned human boy was dressed in a black t-shirt, denim jeans, and a blue short sleeved jacket. Canteens and pans gently clanked, hanging off of his large hiking backpack. The boy's black hair, though brushed and cared for, stuck out in occasional spikes around the sides of his face and the back of his head.

_Yeah,_ Ash replied, amber eyes looking down and away from the hypno. _It is._

_I always knew you'd eventually have ta spread your wings and leave the nest, _Flygirl said. _And I knew you'd be leavin' soon, but still….._

_Yeah, _Ash replied, still fussing over his backpack.

Silence, awkward and heavy fell over the four of them.

_It's time to go, _Ash said, looking at the ground. _I- I just want to say thank you. For looking after me so long. For keeping me safe._

_Ash, thank you for letting us, _Pocket Watch said, engulfing the boy in a hug.

_Uff, _Ash said, chin on Pocket Watch's shoulder, eyes closed.

_We'd do it a hundred times over, _Flygirl told him, joining in on the hug with her wings. _These last years have been some of the best we've ever had._

_Thanks, _Ash said, tears leaking out of the corners of his closed eyes. _I'm going to miss you all._

Pocket Watch let him go and Ash turned away, toward Pallet Town and the start of his journey.

_This is goodbye my boy_, Poison Lance spoke up. _We have looked after you for all these years and gave all of the little that we could give you. I hope that you fare well on your journey and are successful in becoming the great pokémon trainer that you are meant to be. May you meet many new friends, both human and pokémon, and sample the wonders of the world. Remember to stay true to yourself and hold your head with pride._

Ash let loose a sob, whirled around, and then embraced the old weedle.

_I'm really going to miss you all, _the human said. _And don't worry. You all gave me more than enough._

Poison Lance nuzzled the boy. _You will always be in our thoughts. We send our hopes and goodwill with you. But now is the time for you to depart on your journey._

_Yeah, _Ash said, wiping at his eyes and standing up. _I love you all. Send me a message if you move again, otherwise I'll stop by here when I can! Goodbye Dad! Goodbye Mom! Goodbye Father!_

And with that the boy left.

* * *

"Crap, crap, crap, took too long," Ash muttered to himself a couple of hours later, rushing along the road towards Professor Oak's laboratory. He glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes late. Ash had no idea how bad that would be.

He rushed up a small hill and saw that there was a crowd of people gathered below. There were shouts and cheers emanating from the crowd and among them he could see his classmates, holding up pokémon or pokéballs to show their family and friends.

Ash sighed, and then began making his way through the crowd.

"Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry." The boy said, trying to squeeze through, gently nudging people out of the way as he tried to make it to the labs. "Running late. Excuse me."

"Ah! Aaron Autumns! My rival finally arrives!" Someone shouted. Ash turned, looking for Gary the obvious culprit, standing near the doors to the laboratory. "I thought you lost your nerve and decided to chicken out! Well-"

"Hi Gary! What pokémon did you get?" Ash asked, smiling as he hurried over to the other boy. Gary sighed, letting his face fall into his hand.

"Aaron, sometimes I don't think you get what rival means." Gary said, muffled by his palm.

"Yeah I do. It means we compete a lot and have fun!" Ash answered. "So, what pokémon did you get?"

"I got an eevee." Gary answered, looking up. "Leaf picked a bulbasaur just so you know."

"That's nice." Ash said. "How bad is being fifteen minutes late? Are there any pokémon left?"

"Gramps should still have a couple." Gary answered, before glancing back at his watch. "I'm going to head out now. Smell ya later!"

"Sure. I'll see you later too! We can have a pokémon battle then!" Ash said, waving as Gary left, and then heading into the lab.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late Professor!" Ash said as he entered the laboratory.

"Only fifteen minutes," the professor replied, standing next to a table with a pokéball on it and looking at his watch. "Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, Mr. Autumns, but there was a mistake when taking inventory and well, we've only got one pokémon left."

"That's okay," Ash said. "I'll take them!"

"Hmmm. Well this one is freshly caught, so it might be a bit difficult for a starting trainer." Oak said. "But, given what Gary has told me, I think this might be a good fit." He took the pokéball from the table and handed it to Ash.

Ash took it reverently. Inside the pokéball, lay his first pokémon, his first new friend. What would it be? A bulbasaur, green and strong? A charamander, bright and fiery? A squirtle, happy and bubbly? Maybe an eevee full of potential?

"Well, open it," Oak said, watching Ash with guarded amusement. "Go on, greet your new pokémon."

White light flashed and coalesced on the table. Before Ash stood a yellow, chubby pokémon, with red cheek pads, brown stripes on it's back, and a yellow tail that zig-zagged light a lightning bolt.

The first thing that Pikachu ever said to Ash was: _Oh, great you're the idiot I have to deal with._

"Well it takes one to know one," Ash muttered back.

_Wait what?_

"I'm sorry Aaron, did you say something?" Professor Oak asked.

"I just said, what an adorable pokémon," the twelve-year-old boy lied to the professor. "Just look at him!"

_I must have been imagining things, _the pikachu said as Ash picked him up.

_No, you weren't_, Ash whispered into the yellow pokémon's ear.

_Did you just speak properly? _Pikachu looked sharply at Ash. _No, Pikachu, your mind is just playing tricks on you…_

"I imagine that he is rather cute," Professor Oak said. "But given that he was causing electrical outages in the lab by gnawing at some wires, I'm not inclined to see it."

_That's right! I was eating some nice tasty electricity and then this old coot had to go ruin it for me!_

"Well, at least he won't have to worry about people ruining his meals from here on out," Ash declared with a smile.

_Again, you do this! It's almost like you can…. wait a minute…. There was some gossip about a person who could speak properly… I've been had!_

Yellow light flared and then Ash was on his back, twitching from the shock. Pikachu stood on his chest, forepaws crossed, tapping one foot.

"Well, he's certainly got an electrifying personality!" Oak said with a grin. Electricity flared again and Oak was also twitching on his back.

"Yeah, I might've had that coming," Ash said, picking himself up and grabbing a glaring Pikachu. "Thanks for the pokémon, Professor Oak, but I should head out."

"Wait, before you go, there's more I need to give you." Professor Oak said, picking himself up and grabbing some items from around the lab. "First, some pokéballs to get you started. Second, your pokédex."

"My what?"

"Guess you haven't heard." Oak shrugged, handing Ash a bag full of pokéballs, and a sleek red, metallic object. "It's something I've been working on. It's a combination pokémon encyclopedia, scanner, and research repository. You can use it to look up known information on pokémon, scan pokémon for more data, and you can record observations and tests in it. Just make sure to sync it at a pokémon center to share what you've learned and to get the latest updates."

"Oh. Well, guess I won't need to carry around so many books then" Ash replied, accepting the items, and slotting them into some free space in his backpack.

"I've been giving them out to all the trainers this year and if it's successful I might be able to convince the league to give them out to all starting trainers." Professor Oak went on. "The pokédex also has a small teleporter, and is connected to the pokémon storage system, if you choose to use it. It's pre-set to use my ranch as the designated storage location. And before you say anything, yes, it is a League accredited location for short-term and long-term storage."

"Right, if you don't want to keep all your pokémon with you, then you can send them to a storage location where they can either be put in stasis or they go live somewhere safe," Ash said nodding. "Not sure if I'm going to use it."

His caretakers had mentioned something about the storage system once, having heard about it from wild pokémon. Opinions had been mixed as to whether or not it was a good thing. Poison Lance felt that it was a bad choice to offer trainers, who might neglect a large amount of pokémon, and that trainers should keep their pokémon on them at all times. Flygirl thought it would have been nice to have a place to keep parts of their team in reserve, so that their trainer could fill holes in the team quickly, be able to focus their resources on the pokémon who needed them most at the time, and that such an option would allow trainers to have a larger team.

Pocket Watch hadn't had an opinion on the storage system and had decided to play with Ash while his teammates argued.

"Well, you'll need to register with the pokédex and then the storage system first," Professor Oak told him, "so keep that in mind if you think you might need it in a hurry. Oh, and give me a call when you check into to your first pokémon center. I like to try and keep tabs on the trainers I give starters to."

_I'm sure you humans find this nice and all, but you and I need to have a chat buddy_, Pikachu piped up from Ash's arms. _I'm sure you'll find it most en-light-ening._

"Well, thanks for the pokémon and the pokédex," Ash said hurriedly. "But I've got to go get some rubber gloves."

* * *

Ash actually headed out to an empty field outside of Pallet Town. He looked around to make sure there were no people and then put down the glaring Pikachu.

_So, yes, I can speak properly, _Ash said to the electric rodent.

_A power you abuse to mock innocent pikachus! _The yellow pokémon shouted, pointing in an accusatory manner.

_Uh, I guess? _Ash shrugged. _I mean it is sort of fun to mess with pokémon by letting them know I can understand them…._

_You monster!_

_Like you've never messed with a human by insulting them while smiling at them! _Ash accused, pointing right back at the pokemon.

_Well maybe I have, _Pikachu huffed, crossing his forepaws. _But that's because most of them are too stupid to understand what I'm saying!_

_Oh, so you pick on stupid humans and you think you've got the moral high ground on me? At least I mock things that understand me!_

_You idiot! That's worse. You're just picking a fight! Meanwhile I get my revenge without needing to resort to emotional violence! And I get fawned over!_

_So, you trick people into giving you affection! _Ash said. _That's still not any better!_

_Well, maybe if you all weren't so stupid-_

_As to find you cute? Trust me, after ten seconds of listening to you I'll never make that mistake again, _Ash said, rolling his eyes.

_Hey! I am a very adorable pokémon. Look at this perfectly plump pikachu figure, these red round cheeks, and my very cute nose. Plus, you can't forget my amazing tail! _Pikachu protested, twisting around to show off said tail.

_All marred by an awful personality, _Ash huffed.

_Takes one to know one bub, _Pikachu shot back. _We both pretend to be innocent in front of your species! You get mad at me for insulting people in a way they can't understand, but I'm sure you insult people's pokémon in a way they can't understand! Why else would you keep the fact you can speak properly a secret?_

Ash briefly froze up at that statement, taking a second before responding.

_Actually, I don't let other humans know I can speak properly because I don't want to let them know how I learned to do so. _Ash answered.

_Well, how did you learn? _Pikachu asked, crossing his forepaws again and tapping his foot.

_I was, uh, raised by some pokémon, _Ash replied. _Well, I mean I was initially raised by my human folks, but-_

_Something happened to them, _Pikachu grimaced. _That- well- I'm sorry for your loss._

_Thanks, _Ash said, looking away and rubbing the back of his head. _Anyway, that was a long time ago, and Poison Lance and Pocket Watch found me after that…. Actually, they found pokémon hunting me and then at least one of the people commanding them-_

_I think you left a few things out there, _Pikachu interrupted. _You were being hunted? Why?_

_I don't know! _Ash exclaimed. _I wish I did though. Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl were never sure if I was still being hunted. They kept moving me around. I've lived in Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Kanto._

_So, you were constantly on the move with how many pokémon looking after you?_

_Three. Pocket Watch and Poison Lance contacted Flygirl to help. And we weren't constantly moving. In the beginning they told me that they kept relocating every couple weeks or months, but that stopped when they started sending me to school._

_Wait, you were raised by wild pokémon and they made you go to school? _Pikachu titled his head. _I don't know much about humans, but I thought the only reason human children hated school and only went because their human parents made them. Shouldn't-_

_It turns out school's a great way to make sure a human child grows up knowing how to speak to other humans correctly, _Ash cut Pikachu off. _And I sorta get why other kids hated school, first grade was just bad, but it was different for me. I only went to kindergarten, first grade, and then fifth grade._

_Why'd you skip the other grades?_

_Oh, some more people tried to kidnap me in Sinnoh-_

_Wait, huh? Your hunters found you? _Pikachu asked. _I thought you said that your caretakers didn't know if you were still being hunted._

_We're pretty sure this was a different group, _Ash answered. _I set off some sort of device of theirs and they tried to grab me._

_So, you have two groups of hunters? You are the unluckiest idiot I've ever met._

_The second group isn't actually hunting me, _Ash answered. _And I'm not an idiot. They just stumbled across me._

_Which is soooo much different, _Pikachu said, rolling his eyes.

_It is! _Ash protested immediately. _We're not sure how the first group found me, but Pocket Watch is a hypno, and he managed to get some information from one of the humans involved, and they had planned their attempt for a while. Anyway, after the kidnapping attempt, they sent me to first grade in a place where they could watch me easier and then we quit going to school._

_Okay… I think I follow your tale of misfortune and woe-_

_Hey! It wasn't bad most of the time-_

_Your tale of suffering and misery so far, _Pikachu continued,_ but why'd you come back to school if you were so worried_ _about being found?_

_Well, they had me reading school books in the wilderness for several years with almost no human contact, _Ash replied. _It was starting to make me go crazy-_

_You mean go stupid, _Pikachu said. _Unless you being an idiot isn't a new development-_

_Go crazy and then I asked them if I could go back to school, _Ash went on, rolling his eyes. _They decided that since I was nearly old enough to become a pokémon trainer that I should go back so I could get registered and everything. And they picked here because they heard that the League had stepped up security here, so it should be safe from my hunters._

_Okay. Quick question. Where are you from originally? _Pikachu asked.

_Here actually. _Ash answered. _I was living around here when the hunters first came after me._

_So, your caretakers who kept you moving to different regions because they were scared of your hunters finding you, decided to take you back to where they first found you? I see where you get your idiocy from._

_Hey! _Ash protested. _We're pretty sure that we've lost them by now. Besides, there's a lot of security here now too. And they thought it was appropriate that I started my trainer's journey from here, as this is where everything began for them. And it is where I would have probably stayed if my human folks were still around._

_And they're just letting you go on this trainer's journey despite the fact that you're probably being hunted? _Pikachu asked, raising one eyebrow.

_I want, no need, to become strong enough to fight off my hunters on my own, _Ash answered, clenching a fist. _I don't want to keep hiding from them. I want to make friends and keep them._

Pikachu didn't say anything for a while. He and Ash just stood in silence for a minute before Pikachu spoke up again.

_Well that was an interesting story, but what are we going to do now? I know, I'll go zap another pokémon for you and then I'll be on my way-_

_Wait, you don't want me to train you? Then why were you hanging around people if you didn't want to get caught? _Ash asked.

_This isn't the first time I've been caught, _Pikachu informed the human boy. _But all the other times I was caught was so the humans could dump me back into the forest. That's what they do when you're what they call a 'pest', and what I call a 'liberator of horded electricity'. You and that professor are the first ones who've wanted to train me._

_Well if you let me train you, then I'll be responsible for keeping you fed! _Ash said. _And I can train you to become super-powerful-_ Ash stopped talking as Pikachu fell over laughing.

_That's a good one, _Pikachu said, wiping at the corner of his eye. _Oh wait, you were serious. That's even better!_

_Well I could!_

_I doubt that, _Pikachu said. He pointed at a nearby tree. _You see that tree over there? That branch with the five leaves on the end?_

_Yeah. What about-_

Yellow light flashed and there was a brief crackle. The five leaves fell down with a smoking hole in each of their centers.

_Impressive, _Ash commented.

_Thank you, _Pikachu said with a small bow. _I've been working on speed and accuracy on my own, though my power is nothing to scoff at either. Someday I will become good enough to be known as the 'Lightning Zapper'._

…_. Uh…. I don't think…_

_Shut up, the name's a work in progress, _Pikachu huffed.

_But what about other things? _Ash asked. _What about defense?_

_I zap the enemy! That's a good defense. _Pikachu answered.

_Okay, what if they're a big electric type? _Ash asked. _What are you going to do then?_

_I'll just zap them really hard. _Pikachu answered.

_Do you really think that will work? What about a ground-type?_

_I'll just zap it even harder!_

_Do you really think that will work?_

_Shut up, _Pikachu huffed, crossing his forepaws again. _Alright, fine so I haven't though everything through._

_I can help with that, _Ash said. _And I can help you with your electrical attacks. I can read up on how electricity works. Can you read?_

_No, _Pikachu growled. _Never thought humans would write down anything about electricity given how protective they are about it when an innocent pokémon is just looking for a snack…._

_But they did and I can read it, _Ash said. _And that's not the only thing I can help with if you come with me! I can help medicine and food! I can help you learn defensive moves. Don't you want to figure out how to deal with ground-types?_

_Well, okay, you could prove useful, _Pikachu admitted. He waited a moment, sighed, and then spoke again. _Fine, I'll go with you. I don't have anything better to do anyway._

Ash let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. When he had been thinking about his journey there had been the implicit assumption that his first pokémon would automatically accept him. The idea that it wouldn't, that his first pokémon would reject him, it had struck an insecurity Ash didn't know he had.

Was he a defective human?

Ash looked up, shook his head to clear it, and then looked back at Pikachu.

_Great! So, do you want to go back in your pokéball now-_

_Okay, correction, I'll go with you so long as you avoid using that infernal contraption, _Pikachu answered, before hopping up onto Ash's shoulder.

_I thought pokémon liked pokéballs?_

_I can't stand those things, _Pikachu said, sticking his tongue out. _I'll just ride you instead. Actually- Pikachu_, scrambled onto the top of Ash's head. _I think this is more appropriate. After all I'll be the brains of this operation._

_Don't you have any respect for me?_

_No. Now onwards human steed!_

_You know, _Ash sighed, as he started to walk. _If I couldn't understand you, that would probably sound adorable._

* * *

Days later and in a different part of the Viridian forest, clouds covered the sky without a dark tint that would promise rain. A group of people were out in the forest, in a large clearing. While they were all dressed for forest travel, they all had done it in an unusual manner, with hats, and coats with high brimmed collars, almost as if they were trying to reduce the visibility of their faces.

They were sitting around a pile of pokéballs, busying themselves with various activities. Some of them were rummaging in packs, some of them were counting the pokéballs, and others were fiddling with some things that they were keeping out of sight.

A teenage girl, with orange-red hair in a short ponytail, wandered into the clearing.

"Scuse me," she said as they all turned to look at her. "Don't mind me, just passing on through."

No one in the group replied. They all kept staring at her.

"Wow. That's a bit creepy." The red-haired girl said, smiling uncertainly. "Can I ask what's going on here?"

"No." One man, with black hair, and black dead fish eyes. "Go away."

"Really? Because it looks like you've got a bunch of filled pokéballs and given how many you have, I doubt you're intending to train the pokémon in them." The girl said, smile turning from uncertain to sardonic.

"Which leads me to conclude that you're capturing pokémon in bulk for non-training purposes," she continued. "There are a few cases where that might be legal, but I doubt there's been any wild pokémon bothering Pallet Town, Viridian City, or Pewter City, so you're probably not relocators. And you're certainly not with the League…"

"Brat, this is none of your business," the man from earlier said. "Now get out of here before we make you."

"Sorry, but that won't be happening," the red head replied.

"Just who do you think you-"

"I'm someone with a direct line to a gym," the girl answered, holding up a pokégear. "If necessary, I can report in about you very quickly, while on the run even. Now would you care to explain what's going on here? Or would you rather release the pokémon you've illegally-"

Several things happened at once. A couple of the men who had been fiddling with things hidden from sight suddenly moved, revealing that the hidden objects were crossbows. Their companions either jumped out of the line of fire, or grabbed for pokéballs at their belts. And the girl jumped back for the trees.

"Ice Beam!" Blue jagged light shone from the forest, crossbows twanged, and there was chaos.

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest Ash and Pikachu were sitting on some tree roots.

_Okay, so looks like you won't be learning Swift any time soon, _Ash said, panting. _And I don't know why you insist on having me do pushups or sit ups or jumping jacks while you're doing your training._

_I've told you before, I shouldn't be the only one suffering, _Pikachu replied. _And why are you trying to have me learn Swift on top of all this speed training, the endurance training, and the control training?_

_Well, _Ash said, trying to catch his breath, _I just thought it would be useful for you to have a ranged attack that wasn't electric based. Since I'm going to need a training manual to figure out how to teach you to do Double Team, I thought we could try using Speed Burst and Swift to deal with troublesome opponents in the meantime._

_I. Hate. Speed. Burst. So. Much. _Pikachu panted. _You're a sadist for coming up for it. And why did you give it a special name. It's just Agility and Quick Attack combined._

_Yes, but we're using Quick Attack to dodge rather than as, you know, an attack, _Ash replied. _Besides, giving it a name means it's a bit harder for other trainers to figure out what's going on._

_You could just give me directions while speaking properly. _Pikachu pointed out.

_Remember I can't do that in front of other humans, _Ash replied. _We don't want them thinking that I'm something other than an ordinary trainer and start digging._

_Alright, you've got a point there idiot, _Pikachu admitted. _Moving on, what's the point of all the control exercises, like hitting a target behind a tree? I thought it was about power or efficiency or something, but neither of those are improving as fast as they should._

_Attacking from behind cover, _Ash answered, getting his breathing under control. _And I thought you could maybe use it to re-direct incoming electrical attacks. But I was going to try and work on that later…_

_Hmmm…... that could maybe work, _Pikachu replied. _But-_

_Hi Ash! _A familiar voice interrupted the two of them. Person and pokémon turned to look at the source. It was a caterpie that Ash recognized.

_Hi Caterpie, _Ash replied. _What are you doing out here?_

_Not much. Was looking into some things, but I must've missed them. _The bug type answered with a shrug. Of course, lacking shoulders, the shrug was more an upper body bob, but both Ash and Pikachu understood the body language well enough. _What are you doing out here? I thought you were supposed to be in school during the day?_

_Well, it's summer, and I'm not going to school because I'm a trainer, _Ash answered.

_You're a trainer now? That's so cool! _Caterpie replied, standing on the tip of his tail in excitement. _That's why you're hanging out with that pikachu! How did you catch him!_

_You think this idiot could catch a pokémon as magnificent as me? _Pikachu asked. _No, the only reason he is blessed with my presence is because I am his starting pokémon. For you see, I saw this poor abandoned human, crying alone in the woods-_

_That's not how it- _Ash began, but Pikachu talked over him.

_-because he had been slothful and late to receive his starting pokémon from the professor of Pallet Town. Being a kind and generous soul-_

_Very debatable, _Ash interjected.

_-I took pity on the young fool and offered to accompany him on his journey, knowing that he would be doomed without me. A ray of light fell from the sky-_

_And this doesn't even have a passing resemblance to reality anymore, _Ash sighed. _He was eating electricity from some wires outside of Professor Oak's lab and got caught. Professor Oak then gave him to me as my starter._

_Well, if you want to hear the drab and pedestrian version of the story then listen to the human, _Pikachu sniffed, crossing his forepaws. _My version is more epic._

_Okay, _Caterpie replied. _Can I come with?_

_Well, we'll be leaving the forest eventually, but you could hang around with us until then if you want. _Ash answered, rubbing the back of his head. _But it's not really something you need to ask-_

_No, no, I meant as one of your pokémon, _Caterpie corrected the human.

_Uh….. _Ash paused. _I guess, but generally aren't you just supposed to challenge me? Leap out of the tall grass and fight whatever pokémon I send against you?_

_I can do that if you'd like! _Caterpie looked around. _Where's some tall grass? And should I shout something? I know! I'll shout 'Have at thee human! I challenge thee to a battle with mine service as thine reward for victory'._

_Oh, oh, _Ash said, excitedly. _And I can say, 'I accept thine challenge Caterpie of the Viridian Forest. Have at thee!'_

_And I can say, _Pikachu interjected, rolling his eyes, _I'm too tired for a proper battle, so I'll just hit you with Thundershock now, like so- _Yellow light flared and electricity buzzed. Caterpie was knocked on his back, singed and twitching.

_Pikachu! _Ash protested. _You didn't let us do it right!_

_Just throw the darn pokéball and catch him, _Pikachu replied. _I'm tired and hungry and not in the mood for this._

_Oh, fine, _Ash said, taking a pokéball out of his backpack and gently tossing it at the prone bug type. The ball impacted, and Caterpie was transformed into red energy that was sucked into the sphere. It then fell to the ground shaking sideways and glowing with a red light. And then it was still. Ash picked up the ball and released Caterpie.

_Ouch, _Caterpie groaned. _I know that would've happened eventually but-_

_Less buts and more food! _Pikachu snapped.

* * *

_Mmmmmh, they don't have leaves like this around here. _Caterpie said, munching on some packaged spinach from Ash's pack. _Where do they grow?_

_No idea, _Ash replied, chewing on some jerky. _Pikachu?_

_How would I know? _Pikachu replied, chowing down on some acorns, various nuts, and some dried apple slices. _You're the only one here who can read._

_Alright, then none of us know where spinach comes from, _Ash said. _So, Caterpie, what moves do you know?_

_I can tackle things, _Caterpie answered. _And I know String Shot._

_And…..? _Ash asked.

_Well, that's it, _Caterpie said.

_Oh, okay then, _Ash said, leaning back against a tree. _Well, String Shot can be pretty useful, but you're going to have some trouble with one on one battles for a while. Hey, didn't you mention evolving at some point? I think I remember you saying something….._

_Yeah, I'd like to be a butterfree, but that means you have to be a metapod first, _Caterpie replied. _All you can do as a metapod is String Shot, Harden, and hope you become a butterfree soon. I really don't want to be a metapod…._

_Are you close to evolving? _Ash asked.

_Not exactly…. _Caterpie trailed off. _Look, I could evolve whenever I want, but I just don't want to be a metapod._

_Can't blame you, _Pikachu said, still munching on his food. _Sounds boring as hell._

_Okay, don't worry about it, _Ash reassured the bug type. _I was raised by a weedle, I won't pressure you to evolve if you don't want to._

_Thanks Ash._

_Anyway, why exactly where you up here to begin with? _Ash asked. _What were the things you were looking into?_

_Other caterpies, _Caterpie answered. _There's been a lot going missing in the northwestern part of the forest and there's no sign of any new predators._

_Wait, caterpies are disappearing in the part of the forest we're heading for and you, a lone caterpie, are going to investigate? _Ash asked. _Won't whatever's making caterpies disappear get you too?_

_I guess, _Caterpie did his whole-body shrug again. _Didn't really think about that. I just wanted to know what was going on._

_I get the urge, but you really need to plan ahead for that sort of thing. _Ash looked up at the sky briefly and then back at caterpie. _You got me curious now as well. When we get into the north-west woods let's start setting up an ambush._

_Huh?_

_You can go out and be bait, just a lone caterpie, _Ash explained. _Meanwhile Pikachu and I will wait in a bush, with your pokéball at the ready. If something goes wrong then I'll just recall you._

_And I'll zap whoever's stealing or eating caterpies, _Pikachu added. _It'll be fun._

* * *

"This was supposed to be so easy that a child could do it," a woman with long, shiny, straight cut, black hair ranted, wearing a Rocket uniform. "Go out and catch caterpies. It's not hard at all. Actual children do it all the time. But somehow you idiots couldn't even do that without getting five men killed!"

"We didn't see her pokémon hiding in the trees," the man with black hair and dead fish eyes replied.

"Why did you attack her in the first place Liam?" the woman asked. They were standing in a clearing, surrounded by tents and three other individuals. A man with brown hair was tending to a spot of black-blue frostbite on his upper arm, while another man with blond hair looked like he was taking a nap. A woman with short brown hair held a clipboard and was writing things down.

"She was going to call a gym and blow the whole operation wide open, Jio" the black-haired man, Liam, answered.

"Did she offer any proof that she had a direct line to a gym?" The woman, Jio, asked. "And don't use my name like that. I outrank you now and if you keep screwing up like this, I will always outrank you."

"No, but- "

"Did you try to talk her down?"

"No, but- "

"Did you see if there was anyone with her? No, you just attacked an unknown trainer in the woods, lost five men, and didn't even manage to kill her." Jio rubbed her forehead. "Hanna, how many caterpie did they manage to round up today?"

"Twenty-three," the woman with short brown hair, Hanna, answered. "We're still fifty-two under quota for the week."

"And with half of our original force," Jio moaned. "Because I thought you grunts could be trusted not to screw things up. Did anything go right?"

"We managed to get a crossbow bolt into her pokégear," the man with brown hair spoke up. "Broke it in two. I'm pretty sure that she won't be calling anyone with that."

"Well that's one thing Tadashi," Jio said. "But do you know if she had a second one? Or if there was anyone else with her?"

"No," the man with brown hair, Tadashi, replied. "But we did also manage to clip her with a crossbow bolt or two."

"That's also something," Jio sighed. "Ryder, do you have anything to add to this debacle?"

The blond man, Ryder evidently, opened one eye, belched, and then returned to his nap.

"Informative as always," Jio groaned. "My first assignment after my big promotion and you lot fuck it up. Just great. I thought I could trust you to catch some damn caterpies while I did paperwork. Turns out I was mistaken."

"I would have liked to see you do better, oh miss high and mighty prodigy," Liam shot back. "What would you have done? Read her mind for all those answers? You weren't psychic last time I checked."

"I would have done my best to get all the information before I made a decision," Jio responded. "And I wouldn't have made it obvious that I was catching pokémon in bulk. Were you trying to look suspicious? Why not just have a sign that read 'Team Rocket's here!'?"

"We weren't in uniform, that should've been enough." Liam protested.

"Ugh!" Jio clutched at her head. "I am surrounded by idiots! All of you are idiots! Except you, Hanna," she nodded at the other woman, "your performance has been exemplary as always."

"Thank you miss," Hanna replied. "What are your plans to deal with this situation?"

"We're going to have to scout these woods and find this girl and anyone who might be with her," Jio said after a couple of seconds, pinching her nose. "And then we'll kill them. Liam, Ryder, we'll use your zubats and cubones as scouts, have them try to kill or incapacitate anyone they find. Tadashi, Hanna, your pokémon are more powerful, you'll be support, keep them occupied until the rest of us can get there. Make sure to kill any water types you see before me and Tyranitar get there."

"Certainly miss," Hanna replied.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

Don't forget to review.

Minor edits as of 6/8/2020

:AN


	9. Chapter 9

_Mhmmm, I wonder what leaves are this way, _Caterpie said the next day. He was walking alone along a lone trail in the forest. _Tasty tasty leaves. Mhmmm, food is all I can think about._

_I think that we're not being subtle enough here…. _Ash said, from a nearby bush.

_I know what you mean, _Pikachu agreed from beside him. _I don't really eat leaves, but he's walking by plenty that should be good to eat._

_That's not what I meant either…. You know what, let's just be done for now. _Ash called out to Caterpie. _We'll have to think of a different way to do this starting tomorrow._

_Oh fine. So, what are we going to do the rest of the day? _Caterpie asked.

_We'll train, _Ash answered, walking out of the bushes. _It's why Pikachu and I are out so deep in the forest anyway. I don't want to worry about any humans stumbling on us, it would be annoying. So, String Shot is your big thing, right?_

_Right, _Caterpie nodded. _Well, as big as it can get with me._

_I know the primary use of String Shot is to slow other pokémon down, _Ash went on, _but that's mainly when used against high level pokémon that can easily tear through it. We should work on strengthening String Shot so that it isn't so easy to break and your own strength, so that when you've ensnared a pokémon you have options. Hmmm…_

_Got any training I should be doing while you think of how to train Caterpie, _Pikachu asked.

_Nothing exciting. Just stand behind a tree and try to hit- _Ash looked around for a target – _that rock over there. But hit it from a new angle each time._

_Booooring, _Pikachu said, rolling his eyes, _but fine._

As Pikachu went off to train, Ash sat down, trying to think of the best way to improve Caterpie's abilities. He sat there for several minutes of silence, while Pikachu was having trouble with his positioning. Caterpie watched them both in reverent excitement.

A flying type, with a long red crest, red and brown tail feathers, and a brown body landed on a nearby branch.

_First tasty caterpie in- I mean, human I challenge you! Send out that delicious looking- I mean- Look just get ready to fight, _the pidgeotto said.

_I don't think you actually want to fight my trainer, _Caterpie said, rapidly crawling over to Ash. _I think you just want to eat me!_

_Well, I'm starving, _the pidgeotto shot back. _I haven't seen a caterpie in ages and I haven't had any luck with berries. So, since it doesn't look like your trainer has any other pokémon- _the pidgeotto jumped down from the branch and spread it wings, nonverbally signaling challenge and aggression- _I'm going to challenge him, he's going to send you out, I'll grab you and fly away before he can recall you, and then I won't be so hungry._

_Ash, she's being dishonest with her challenge, _Caterpie protested. _Can you just return me to my pokéball until she goes away?_

_Don't bother little morsel, he's a human and he can't understand you- _the pidgeotto began.

_Uh…. Actually….. I understood every word you said since you landed, _Ash interjected, rubbing the back of his head.

Several seconds of silence passed before Pidgeotto spoke again.

_This is awkward, _Pidgeotto said, lowering her wings like she was about to take off. _Well, a pokémon's got to eat, so I'll just grab that caterpie and-_

Electricity buzzed as a crackling tendril of yellow power snaked around a tree and earthed itself in Pidgeotto. She squawked and fell over, singed and twitching.

_Okay, that was worth all that boring training, _Pikachu said, stepping out from behind the tree. _Ash, we have to do this more often._

_Have something try to eat me? _Caterpie asked, peeking out from behind Ash's knee.

_No, I mean let me shock something that doesn't know I'm there, _Pikachu corrected. _Especially if I have a type advantage over them._

_I mean, the tactic of ambush is a highly effective tactic, _Ash said, _so we will definitely try to do this again. It just might be difficult to actually set up._

_Who cares? Ambushing is fun, _Pikachu grinned, cheeks sparking. He shocked Pidgeotto again.

_That's enough, _Ash chided. _She's beaten._

_Aren't you going to capture her? _Caterpie asked.

_Nah, _Ash said. _She didn't actually challenge me. She was just looking for a meal. We'll just let her recover and-_

_You can catch me, _Pidgeotto croaked, picking herself up. _I knew what I was getting into when I challenged you. Even if it was only for the chance at lunch._

_You don't have to-_

_Just catch me already, okay, _Pidgeotto said. _I obviously need training if I can screw up this badly._

_Okay. _Ash shrugged and threw a pokéball at the flying type. Red light flashed, the pokéball rocked, and Pidgeotto was captured. Ash immediately released her.

_So that's what it feels like, _Pidgeotto said, spreading her wings and looking them over. _I thought it would tickle honestly…_

_Yeah, I know, it's hard to describe what going into a pokéball feels like, _Caterpie said. _Is there a human word for it?_

_How would we know what it feels like to get sucked into a pokéball? _Ash asked. _They don't work on us._

_Fair enough. Now onto to other business. _Pidgeotto declared, turning to face Ash. _Now that I'm your pokémon, you are responsible for keeping me fed, and I'm starving!_

_You're just using us for food! _Pikachu accused pointing at the newcomer.

_Yes, _Pidgeotto nodded. _I thought that was obvious…._

Ash laughed.

_That's as good of a reason as any to become a trained pokémon, _he said, digging into his pack for some food. _Why I remember there was a pair of vulpixes…... _Ash quit laughing, expression becoming serious as he became lost in thought.

After a minute his pokémon shared a glance.

_Uh, Ash, you okay? _Pikachu asked, poking the human in the knee.

_Sorry, _Ash said, shaking his head, and returning to his task. _Was lost in thought._

_Of course, _Pikachu nodded._ It's unfamiliar territory for you._

* * *

Later that night the four of them were sitting around a small fire, wisps of smoke floating up into the starlit sky.

_So, Pidgeotto, what are your strengths? _Ash asked.

_Other than failing to find food and getting zapped. _Pikachu said. _We already know that you're good at that._

_Oh, is the groundwalker jealous? _Pidgeotto asked, preening. _Sure, you can zap me, but only when I deign to come down to your level._

_Right, because the clouds are just so interesting, _Pikachu shot back with a glare. _Face it, everything interesting is here on the ground-_

_Anyway, _Ash interrupted, rolling his eyes,_ Pidgeotto, what moves do you-_

_Actually, can I ask a question? _Caterpie interrupted.

_Sure, _Ash said.

_Pidgeotto, when you were going to eat me-_

_Sorry about that, _Pidgeotto interjected.

_It's alright, _Caterpie said with a nod. _It's not the first time some pokémon's tried to eat me. But when you were trying to devour me, you said that you haven't seen a caterpie in ages? Were you hunting in the north-west part of the forest?_

_Yes, _Pidgeotto nodded. _I was. How could you tell?_

_Caterpies have been disappearing, _Caterpie said. _We want to know why._

_We were actually looking into that just before you arrived, _Ash explained. _If you had arrived a couple minutes earlier you would have seen Caterpie acting as bait. Which would have made everything even more awkward….._

_It would have been interesting at least, _Pidgeotto said. _I've got no idea why the caterpies are vanishing, but I'd be happy to help investigate._

_Cool! We'll work on that tomorrow. Tonight though, let's just go over what moves you know._

_Gust, Sand-Attack, and Quick Attack, _Pidgeotto answered. _I'm also pretty good at dodging when I've actually had some food and not being ambushed._

_Well we can improve that, _Ash replied. _I think- well honestly that strategy remind me of one of my caretakers….._

_Huh? _Pidgeotto cocked her head. _What do you mean?_

_Well, it's related to how I learned to speak properly, _Ash said, and proceeded to spend the rest of the night explaining his upbringing to Pidgeotto, and answering questions from Caterpie and Pikachu.

* * *

The next day was grey and overcast, with a chill wind whipping through the forest, in contrast to the seasonal warmth.

_There's going to be a storm later today, _Ash commented as he walked through the forest, Pikachu riding on his head, Caterpie on one shoulder, Pidgeotto on the other.

_I hope it's a thunderstorm, _Pikachu said. _I do love a good thunderstorm. All that lightning coming down…._

_Fun fact about lightning, _Ash replied. _Did you know that it actually goes up? Well, sort of._

_Huh? _Pikachu looked down at Ash in confusion.

_Well, there are different types of lightning, _Ash went on, _but the usual cloud to ground lightning is weird. The part that is the big flash is actually going up from the ground, but only after a downward channel of charged air meets another, usually shorter, channel of charged air going up._

_Hmmm…..., _Pikachu crossed his forepaws, head down in thought. _If that's the case I wonder if I could cause a lightning strike… I could just manipulate the first charge going up…. No, still need to worry about the charge going down…... What if I were to send that up going charge all the way to the clouds instead…._

_Given how dangerous lightning is, can you not try to play around with it? _Ash asked. _I don't want anyone getting fried._

_I second that motion, _Pidgeotto added.

_Spoilsports, _Pikachu scoffed. _Anyway, where'd you learn about this stuff?_

_I read it in a book on weather, _Ash answered. _Flygirl made me read it because she thought it would help me recognize incoming weather better._

_Did it? _Caterpie asked.

_No, it wasn't that sort of book about weather, _Ash said. _But at least it was interesting and had some cool facts._

_Do you know any other cool facts? _Caterpie inquired.

_Probably? _Ash said, almost shrugging before he remembered the pokémon on his shoulders. _I just don't know any off the top of my head._

_Maybe if we knocked the electric vermin off there'd be more room…. _Pidgeotto suggested with a sidelong glance at Pikachu.

_Maybe if we gave electroshock therapy to the collection of raggedy feathers-_

_How do you know what electroshock therapy is? _Ash asked. _I can't imagine that the topic would come up in the wild._

_Saw it off of a human T.V. show, _Pikachu said. _Anyway-_

_When did you get to watch a human T.V. show? _Ash asked. _When did you even have time to be by a T.V?_

_I hung out at a lot of appliance stores to eat their electricity, _Pikachu explained. _I used to pass the time by hiding from the employees and watching whatever they had playing on the televisions. I watched plenty of TV shows and movies that way. That reminds me Ash, when we get to a city we have to go to a movie theater, I want to see if there are any new kaiju movies out._

_Why?_

_Because they're my favorite! _Pikachu exclaimed, throwing his forepaws up in the air. _What's not to like about a giant thing wrecking a city while everyone tries to blow it up?_

_This is so unfair, _Ash groaned. _I'm a human who only got to watch three educational videos in school and you're a pokémon who got to watch enough television shows and movies to have a favorite genre._

_What's even better is that you've chosen a life where you won't really have a chance to enjoy human media, _Pikachu said with glee. _I don't think there's a lot of TVs and movies out in the forest, now is there?_

_I…. don't think so, _Caterpie said after a moment. _There's none of those human things, uh, power lines, that they use to run their stuff out here. And-_

_It was a joke Caterpie, _Pikachu interrupted.

_Oh. Well, do they have them, at uh, what are they called, _Caterpie tried to remember a name. _Those outposts in the forest and the city where they take care of pokémon….. Right, pokémon centers! Do they have TVs and movies at pokémon centers?_

_Probably, _Ash replied. _But I don't think you're supposed to stay very long at a pokémon center unless you work there or are being treated there._

_A night is long enough to introduce you all to the magic that is kaiju movies! _Pikachu exclaimed, clutching one forepaw into a fist and slamming it into his chest. _You poor benighted souls, languishing in the dark for so long. Fret not, for I, the kind and generous Pikachu shall enlighten you!_

_That's a euphemism for electrocute, right? _Ash asked. _Because that's what you've actually been doing to us._

_Oh, he's shocked you two as well? _Pidgeotto asked. _I thought I was the only one that he shocked unprovoked._

_You tried to eat Caterpie! _Ash and Pikachu protested at the same time.

_Yeah, the first shock was provoked, _Pidgeotto replied. _But then he shocked me again after I was beaten._

_True, _Ash said. _That shock was unprovoked. He also shocked me when we first met._

_You were mocking me! _Pikachu protested. _Using your ability to speak properly to mess with my mind!_

_And he shocked me before we could get ready to battle, _Caterpie added.

_We were going to battle eventually! _Pikachu exclaimed spining to face Caterpie. _I just saved us a little time._

_I think Pikachu just has a 'shocking' personality, _Ash joked, while Pikachu rolled his eyes.

_He's certainly electrifying to be around, _Pidgeotto added, while Pikachu groaned.

_He can be fun! _Caterpie exclaimed.

_Thank you Caterpie, _Pikachu said. _You're a true comrade._ _Now, Caterpie, if you would just jump off of Ash's shoulder for a second…..._

_Caterpie, he wants to shock us, _Ash said quickly. _Stay on my shoulder so he can't._

_How dare you use living shields against me! _Pikachu said with mock ferocity. _Have you no honor?_

_Well, since I'm evidently just a steed, I guess not, _Ash replied with a grin. _Besides, Caterpie's a hostage, not a shield._

_I'd hate to be a living shield, _Caterpie added. _It doesn't seem very fun._

_It's all semantics, _Pikachu said with a wave of his hand. _I can claim the moral victory in any case._

_Whatever you say._

The four of them continued through the forest, stopping a few hours to train, and to scout the forest for any sign of what was causing the caterpie to vanish. Pikachu continued to work on his control, endurance, and speed. Caterpie kept working on his string shot while Pidgeotto worked on Sand-Attack and improving her agility. They had lunch and then continued onward into the north-west forest.

Overhead the clouds grew yet darker, the wind picked up, and the air pressure dropped like a stone. Ash pulled his coat tighter and put on a grey rain hat in preparation for the eventual storm.

_Pidgeotto, do you think you could do a quick fly by to see if there's a good place to take shelter nearby? _Ash asked.

_Maybe, _she replied, turning a critical eye overhead. _If I'm up for only a minute or so… wait, I see a couple of zubats. We could ask them?_

_That's a good idea, _Ash agreed. _If they're flying in this weather, hopefully it's because they're hurrying to reach some nearby shelter. Just don't take too long._

_Don't worry I know better than to fly during a storm, _Pidgeotto said, before taking wing. There were three zubats in the sky, spread out over a distance, but undoubtedly communicating in their ultrasonic fashion. Pidgeotto approached the closest one, only for it to veer away from her. The other two scattered, one flying parallel to her, the other dropping down into the forest.

_What's going on? _Pidgeotto asked herself, feeling a dropping sensation in the pit of her stomach that had little to do with the storm. _This might not be good…._

She turned over and dived out of the sky, slowing and coming to hover by her trainer.

_They wouldn't talk to me, _she told him. _I don't know why._

_Maybe they thought you were going to eat them? _Caterpie suggested from Ash's shoulder.

_Zubats aren't on the menu, _Pidgeotto replied. _They're too hard to catch and then there's the poison to deal with. And they generally know that…._

_Maybe they're shy, _Ash said. _Or maybe…. Hmmm…. Maybe we should hurry up and find that shelter now. I don't like the other possible explanations for their behavior._

_Like what? _Pikachu asked.

_I can make us some shelter, _Caterpie exclaimed, jumping off of Ash. _Well, I can at least keep the wind and rain off of us. It won't be warm…. Ash do you feel that?_

_Feel what? _Ash asked, looking around.

_Vibrations in the ground… there's something coming from underground… _Caterpie said, also looking around. As a small bug type, it paid to be sensitive to ground conditions, so that one would have some forewarning about underground predators.

_Caterpie, get back on my shoulder, _Ash ordered. _Everyone keep an eye out and get ready for me to run._

_I think they were coming from the west, _Caterpie said as he complied with Ash's order. _They're moving fast._

_Then we'll- INCOMING!_

In the shadows of the nearby forest something exploded out of the ground. A projectile whistled through the air. Ash threw himself forward, feeling the breeze from the attack on the back of his hair, as the projectile passed through the space his head and Pikachu used to occupy.

_Eat electricity! _Pikachu shouted, launching himself from Ash's head and unleashing a bolt of coruscating, crackling, yellow power. It lit up the woods and revealed an orange-brown, bipedal lizard-like pokémon wearing a skull, a cubone, as the attacker. It stood with one empty forepaw held out as if it was planning to catch something. Ash realized what was happening.

_Crap, _the boy exclaimed, scrambling forward. The projectile, the cubone's bone club, came back to its owner, narrowly missing Ash on the return trip.

_Ground types! How I hate them! _Pikachu shouted coming between Ash and the cubone. _Well, the three of us should be enough to deal with one aggressive cubone, even if I can't zap it!_

Pidgeotto looked up on instinct and shouted. _We've got trouble from above!_

Two of the zubats from before were swooping down, mouths open. Ash knew that they were probably bombarding his team with supersonic sound waves, the move Supersonic, trying to disrupt and confuse them.

_I don't feel so great, _Pikachu said, stumbling. _What's happening?_

_We're the ones getting ambushed this time! _Ash exclaimed, grabbing the yellow pokémon. _Pidgeotto, Sand-Attack the cubone! Caterpie, String Shot the zubats! Wide so they can't dodge!_

Pidgeotto let forth a blast of air into the ground, sending a wave of dust and debris at the cubone. Caterpie shot forth a spray of sticky silk that the zubats scattered to avoid.

_We're going, _Ash said, Pikachu held in his arms, Caterpie perched on his shoulder, and Pidgeotto hovering nearby. _Everyone stick with me! _He took off in a dead sprint away from the cubone.

His heart was beating in his ears, his rain hat's strap was around his neck, the hat proper flapping in the wind behind him, and his mind was empty except for the rapidly rising sense of cold panic and dread. Branches and leaves whipped at Ash's sides as he barreled down the game trails of the forest. He could hear the flutter of wings behind him and the screeches of the pursuing zubats.

_How many were there? _Ash managed to shout to Pidgeotto.

_There were three zubats earlier, _Pidgeotto shouted back. _I don't know where the third one is!_

_Keep an eye out! Pikachu are you feeling better yet? _Ash shouted, feeling the panic start to recede as he made his plan.

_A little, _Pikachu replied. _I don't think I could do any acrobatics right now, but I'm pretty sure you just want me to zap some zubats._

_Yes! _Ash answered, stopping and looking around. He could hear their screeching, but he couldn't see them.

Water, wet and startling cold fell on his face. Ash could hear the rushing pitter patter as the rain fell throughout the forest, drowning out the sounds he had hoped to hear, the sounds of the zubats.

_Just great! _The human snarled. _Just what we need. Pidgeotto, we're moving again!_

Ash took off running again, rain soaking into his hair and clothes. The wind was becoming unbearably cold. Each stride was accompanied by a squelch as dirt turned to mud and the boy's shoes began to fill with water.

Even as his lungs began to burn from sprinting for minutes on end, even as a chill settled into his flesh, it felt unreal to Ash. He had just been talking and joking with his pokémon not even an hour ago and now he was running for his life!

He came to a stop on a rocky patch of ground, hoping, rather than thinking, that it would be safer there.

_Caterpie, do you think you could still sense them through the mud? _Ash asked. _Pidgeotto, Pikachu, can you hear the zubats?_

_I can give it a try!_ Caterpie said, jumping off of Ash.

_I haven't heard anything but rain for a while,_ Pidgeotto answered, shaking her head.

_Same, _Pikachu added.

_Pikachu, get ready to zap the zubats if you can be sure it's them! _Ash ordered. _Don't give us away unless you're sure. Pidgeotto keep an eye out. Caterpie do you sense anything?_

_I'm not sure, _the bug type replied. _It's hard to tell through mud, but….. Oh no!_

Earth erupted from the direction they had fled. Ash jumped to the side to the side again as a bone club hurtled through the air, shattering a nearby tree.

_Behind you! _Caterpie shouted, and Ash turned on instinct. He got the barest glimpse of another cubone, a whistling sound, a feeling of sharp animal panic that overrode all thought-

-something was moving fast and glowing white-

-a loud clanging sound-

-a small shockwave throwing the rain away-

-a bone club ricocheting off into the distance-

-and something slammed into Ash, knocking him on his behind. He grabbed the object on instinct, holding it against his chest with one arm, the other around Pikachu. One cubone stood behind him, one with a slightly startled expression stood on his other side, hand out to catch a bone club that would no longer be returning on its own.

He looked down and saw a green angular thing, formed of faintly gleaming chitin-

_Caterpie? _Ash asked. _But you- why'd you evolve?_

_I decided that being a living shield was better than letting you die! _Caterpie, now Metapod, shouted.

_Back off! _Pidgeotto screeched, unleashing twin Gust attacks. The cubones braced themselves against the small twisters, claws digging into mud and earth.

_Metapod, String Shot, wide! _Ash shouted, pointing his pokémon at the cubone that still had a club. A spray of sticky silk shot out and the cubone was wrapped up.

Ash looked and saw movement in the dark skies above.

_Pikachu, there's a zubat! Thundershock! _The human shouted.

_On it! _Pikachu replied, jumping out of Ash's grasp and letting loose several tendrils of electric power into the sky. One of them found a zubat, coursed straight through it, and blasted it out of the air.

_Pidgeotto, Quick Attack the other cubone before it gets its club back! _Ash ordered. A brown blur shot through the forest, impacting the other cubone, and sending it tumbling into the forest.

_Alright, now we need to get that other zubat_\- Ash began-

Rain sizzled and steamed as a ball of fire came out of the forest, impacting Pikachu. With a high-pitched cry, the yellow pokémon was sent tumbling backwards, black scorch marks on his coat.

_Not this too! _Ash groaned, near tears. More flames lanced out of the darkness, burning away the silk entrapping the clubless cubone.

_Pidgeotto, Gust everything! _Ash ordered, grabbing a limp Pikachu. _And then follow me!_

With a wordless battle cry Pidgeotto flapped her wings three times, kicking up larger circles of wind each time. A cyclone engulfed the battlefield, with Ash in its eye of the twister as it sucked up mud, rain, and pokémon. He could hear cries from his attackers as they were hurled away by the roaring winds.

_Come on, _he called, getting up before the attack even ended, and running back into the rain.

The four of them made it several yards before an invisible force slammed into them all, person and pokémon alike. Ash felt his breath escape in a grunt as he was smashed into a tree, and then the pressure on him prevented him from taking another.

A drowzee walked out of the forest, one hand extended in a gesture of concentration. Ash desperately tried to breath as he struggled against the telekinetic force pinning him. Animal panic overwhelmed his mind as he was denied the oxygen he needed.

"Well, what do we have here?" A male voice said. A man with brown hair stepped out of the darkness, accompanied by a small red bipedal pokémon, a magby. The man had a small, twisted, nasty smile on his face. "Not the bitch we were looking for, but you might know her."

Ash tried to say something, anything, but he still couldn't breathe….

"Now personally, I'd just kill you," the man went on, "but my boss seems like she'd like to talk to you, to see if you know anything about the trainer we're looking for. So, I guess I just got to wait till you pass out, then I'll kill your pokémon, and then we'll take you back to camp."

More miserable panic at the words, so much that Ash thought he would burst from the overwhelming swell of emotions. Between fear, panic, and his suffocation the boy couldn't even really understand what was happening anymore.

Tears leaked out of Ash's eyes as the world began to go dark…

"Ice Beam!" A girl's voice sounded from somewhere. The brown-haired man's expression briefly changed to one of fear before a white-blue beam struck him and his magby. Ice creaked and roared and the man screamed as he was rapidly frozen solid.

"Water Gun! Bubblebeam!" The female voice shouted again. A pressurized jet of water shot out of the trees at the drowzee, only to be intercepted by an invisible pane of force as the drowzee held up its other hand. At the same time a high-pressure stream of oval bubble shot out from yet another direction, forcing the psychic type to drop the hold on Ash. Ash fell to the ground, landing in a crouch.

"Pikachu Thunderbolt!" Ash cried out after sucking in a deep breath. "Metapod, String Shot! Pidgeotto Gust!"

Wordless cries came from the trees behind Ash, as wind, silk, and electricity lanced out under the storm clouds. The drowzee surrounded itself with a translucent purple bubble of psychic power, letting most of the attacks batter against its defense.

Most of the attacks.

Metapod's attack passed through the defense as if it wasn't there, covering the drowzee's head in glob of sticky silk. Suddenly deprived of oxygen, the drowzee flinched and dropped its defenses.

There was an explosion as the attacks converged and the drowzee was sent hurtling back into the storm in a spray of blood.

Ash stood there for a moment, panting, greedily sucking in the air that had been denied him, before turning to look for his rescuer.

The first thing Ash noticed about her, in the darkness under the storm, was her fire colored hair, like the beginning of a sunrise or the end of a sunset, defying the monotone colors of the storm shrouded forest. Hope, gratitude, the after effects of adrenaline, and a sudden joy shot through Ash at the sight of rescue.

Ash noticed that she seemed a few inches taller than him. As she came towards him, Ash also noticed that she was limping and holding her side.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm the one who should be asking you that," she replied, holding up two pokéballs. A beam of red light lashed out from each of them, heading into the forest, and two pokémon were recalled. "We've got to get out of here before the rest arrive. Follow me, I know somewhere safe"

As if to reinforce her point a roar echoed through the forest, accompanied by the faint sound of snapping branches.

"Okay," Ash agreed. "Lead the way."

* * *

Ash returned Metapod and Pidgeotto to their pokéballs, and then followed his rescuer deeper into the forest. Darkness, deep as night, had fallen under the storm, though Ash's watch insisted that it was still day. Bolts of lightning split the sky, the harsh, echoing cracks more terrifying then the all-consuming rumble of thunder to follow. Ash was completely soaked by the time they made it to a rocky hill with a small stone cliff. There was a fissure, barely wide enough for a human to squeeze through, running through part of the cliff.

"Through here." The girl told Ash. "You'll need to take off your backpack to fit."Ash nodded, took off his backpack, and followed her through the crack into a cave beyond.

The girl fiddled with something in the dark and then a lantern was lit, allowing Ash to get a better look at his savior. Her eyes were viridian, the blue green of the shallows of a clear sea during a sunny day. She was slim and athletic, wearing a yellow tank top, denim shorts, and red suspenders. But what caught Ash's eyes were the white bandages wrapped around her right leg, and plastered over her right side. A small red stain marked the bandages on her side.

"Crap," the girl said, noticing his glance and the red stain, "the cut's open again."

"What-" Ash began, sinking back against the cave wall, Pikachu in his arms, his body suddenly aching. "What happened to you?"

"Crossbows," the girl answered. "We can save the full story for later… what's your name?"

"Aaron," Ash answered.

"I'm Misty," the girl told him. "You probably want a towel for you and your pikachu."

Ash shook his head. "Only if you have some to spare."

"Don't worry about me," Misty replied, rolling her eyes, and walking over to another part of the cave. "I'm a water type specialist, raised by water type specialists. I've spent more time in water then out of it. This is nothing." She threw a pair of towels at Ash. "Dry off while I change my bandages. I'll be just around the corner if you need something."

She left, leaving Ash, Pikachu, and a couple of towels. Ash began to rub Pikachu down with the towels, until Pikachu started to squirm.

_Stop it, the static tickles, _Pikachu whined. _Let me just- _the yellow pokémon jumped away from Ash and then vigorously shook himself, spraying water over the cave. _There. That's better._

_Okay, _Ash said in a monotone. Ash picked up the other towel and began to rub himself down in a mechanical matter. His aches receded and everything felt numb. It was like a dream where he wasn't himself and he was floating in his own body. It had to be a dream, nothing seemed real at the moment.

He was numb. He was being hunted. He was numb. He was numb. He was numb.

_Ash._

He was numb. He was numb. He was numb. He was numb. He was being hunted.

_Ash!_

He was numb. He was numb. He was numb. He was numb.

_ASH! _Something hit his face. He looked down at another face, a yellow face with red circles on the cheeks.

_Ash, are you alright? _Pikachu asked, looking concerned. _You were breathing funny and you've been drying that arm for five minutes now._

Ash blinked and shook his head. He looked down at himself. His arm was indeed dry. He was being hunted. He was being hunted. He was being hunted. He was being hunted.

_Ash! _Pikachu was in his face again.

_I'm sorry, _Ash said, gulping. Tears were leaking out of the corners of his eyes. He was being hunted. He was being hunted. He was being hunted again, like what happened to his parents, like what had happened in Sinnoh. Hunters were after him, his nightmares come to life. He couldn't think, he kept breathing too fast, he couldn't think, he was on fire with fear, he couldn't think-

Ash took one deep breath. He recalled his mental defense training from the days he had lived near Lavendar Town. How to manage his mind, focus his attention, recognize his thoughts, and drop a line of thought without lingering.

It didn't matter because his hunters-

And the line of thought was dropped. Ash turned his mind to other matters, such as medical supplies for his pokémon.

"Pikachu, do you have any burns?" Ash asked, digging around in his backpack. He'd need some of the rejuvenating agents, colloquially called Potions, to speed up the healing of his pokémon, and a Burn Heal for Pikachu.

_I've got a small one here, _Pikachu said, pointing to his side. _The rest is just burnt fur._

"Alright," Ash said, applying the burn heal to the affected area. His hunters- Next he needed to care for his other pokémon. Metapod might have been hurt deflecting the bone club and Pidgeotto by the psychic attack. White light blazed and his other two pokémon were out.

"Let's get a potion on each of you," Ash told them. His hunters- "Any external injuries?"

_I think my back is bruised, _Pidgeotto answered, looking over her shoulder. _Maybe some scrapes as well._

_I'm good, _Metapod said. _Well, as good as I can be stuck as a metapod…_

_I'm sorry you had to do that, _Ash replied with a grimace, before applying the potion to Pidgeotto's back.

_It's better then letting you get hit, _Metapod said. _And I'm not totally useless. You can still point me at things you need hit with string shot. It's just everything else that I'm no good for._

_Well…. Maybe not, _Ash said. _Pidgeotto drink up. _He had the flying type drink the rest of the potion to help with general recovery.

_What else can I do? _Metapod asked. _I can't move, so I can't tackle-_

_But you can be moved, _Ash interrupted. _And you can harden at will. If we have Pidgeotto carry you, and release you in the middle of a Quick Attack, or if we drop you from a great height, and then you use Harden, you would make a great projectile._

_Huh, _Metapod mused. _I guess that's something at least. But I'll still be useless in one on one battles._

_Yeah, _Ash frowned again. _I'm sorry-_

_Ash, it was my choice, _Metapod interrupted._ Don't worry, at least now I can become a butterfree._

_Fine, _Ash sighed. His hunters- Next he needed to take stock of the local geography.

_Ash are you okay? _Pikachu repeated his question from earlier, his expression soft, worried. _You were…. acting strange before._

His hunters- Ash closed his eyes and took a breath before speaking. _I'm trying to be fine. Don't worry. I'll make sure you all get out of this safely._

_Ash…. _Pikachu said sadly, briefly nuzzling the boy's side. _Don't- Crap the girl's coming back-_

"You hurt?" Misty asked, coming back around the corner with a fresh set of bandages on her side.

"I'm fine," Ash answered.

"Is your team hurt? Do you need any supplies for them?"

"I already gave them some potions," Ash answered. "What about you? Is there anything I can do to help with those wounds?"

"I've cleaned them, disinfected them, and bandaged them, so unless you've had professional medical training and know you can do a better job, then I don't think so," Misty replied with a strained smile. "I'm sorry about this. It's my fault that they attacked you."

"How? And who was it who attacked us?" Ash asked. "Why did they decide to attack me?"

"I don't know for sure why they attacked you, but I'm pretty sure it was because they thought you might be with me," Misty answered, sitting down on the other side of the cave, wincing as she did so. "Several days ago, I came across some suspicious looking people counting a pile of pokéballs. I thought they were low level poachers or something, so I confronted them. I thought I could scare them into releasing the pokémon by threatening to call my gym-"

"Your gym?"

"I'm a gym trainer with the Cerulean City Gym," Misty answered and then quit talking like she was waiting for something.

"Okay, and?" Ash asked, wondering why she had quit talking.

"Uh, you're not going to ask how I managed that so young?" Misty sounded surprised.

"I don't know how gym trainers work," Ash replied, frowning. "And you don't seem that young to me…."

"Ouch," Misty said, mock-wincing. "Not even quite yet fourteen and I'm already 'not young'. Anyway, I threatened to call my gym, thinking that would scare them. But they attacked me instead. Shot me and my pokégear with crossbows. Luckily, I had Staryu and Starmie hidden nearby. I got half of them before I escaped. Ever since then I've seen their zubats up in the sky looking for me. I was keeping an eye on them when I noticed your pidgeotto and have been looking for you since."

"But why would they attack me?" Ash asked. "And who are they?"

"I think they're Team Rocket," Misty answered. "They're not in the Rocket uniforms, but there's not many other groups who would behave like this. They probably attacked you because they thought you might be connected with me." She looked down and clenched her fists. "So, it's my fault they attacked you."

"No, it's not," Ash said. "They're the ones who attacked me, not you-"

_You were just blaming yourself for Metapod evolving you hypocrite! _Pikachu groaned. _Ugh! Humans!_

"He's just adorable," Misty said with a smile. "Can I pet him?"

_At least she recognizes my cuteness! _Pikachu said, scampering over to the red head.

"Anyway, I'll do my best to get you out of this safely," Misty said, petting Pikachu.

_Oh, by Zapdos's Sparks! _Pikachu groaned. _Our idiot already said that-_

_Maybe it's a human thing? _Metapod suggested.

_It might be, because humans are stupid! _Pikachu shot back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Misty cooed to Pikachu. "Here, does this feel better?" She asked, petting him in a different spot. "Shhh…. Don't worry you adorable pokémon you."

Ash wondered if he could forget how to understand pokémon so he could achieve such blissful ignorance.

"So, do you have any pokémon besides these three?" Misty asked.

"No," Ash answered. "And I just got Pidgeotto yesterday."

"I'm guessing that you only recently became a trainer?"

"Yes," Ash nodded.

"Okay," Misty closed her eyes. "Do you have a pokégear? Or any other communication device?"

"No."

"Alright," Misty opened her eyes. "So, here's the plan. We're going to head to Pewter City after the storm's passed. I was going to wait until my leg healed first, but we don't have that luxury now."

"If you're going to have- ", Ash started, but Misty interrupted.

"It's not just because you're here," Misty said, shaking her head. "They're also getting closer, so this place isn't safe anymore."

"Speaking of safe," Ash looked back at the narrow entrance. "What are we going to do if they discover us? They can trap us in here."

"There's a weak spot in back," Misty replied. "It will take a few seconds, but we can blast it and leave through there."

"What pokémon do you have?" Ash asked.

"Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen," Misty answered. "Goldeen isn't going to be any help unless we get into a fight in some water, so it's really just Staryu and Starmie."

"So, I'm going to have to have Pikachu fight any electric types," Ash said, partially to Misty and partially to himself. "Pidgeotto will have to handle any grass types…... hmmm I wonder if we could combine Gust, the rain, and Ice Beam for a makeshift shield against electric attacks, is ice, uh, not good with electricity….."

"No time for experiments," Misty said with a wry smile. "I agree with the other parts of the plan though. You should try to get some sleep now; I'll wake you once the storm is- "

Thunder had been rumbling intermittently throughout their stay in the cave, so Ash almost dismissed the loud sound that disrupted the conversation. But half a second later he realized it wasn't thunder, it wasn't a deep rumble that passed through everything. It was a continuous crashing sound.

"They're here!" Ash and Misty shouted at the same time.

"This way," Misty said, grabbing her things, and releasing Starmie. Ash grabbed his backpack and followed. Misty led him and his pokémon through a few twists and turns in the cave and then to a crumbling rock wall. The crashing noise was getting closer the whole time.

"Water Gun!" Misty ordered, pointing to what appeared to Ash to be a random spot on the wall. A jet of water drilled into the wall and cracks began to spread.

"Staryu!" Misty shouted, releasing said pokémon, "Help out!" Another blast of water shattered the weakened wall and the way was clear.

"This way," Misty said, urging Ash to follow. The two of them and their pokémon ran back out into the storm. Lightning cracked, thunder rumbled, and something roared by the cave entrance.

"Freeze that hole shut!" Misty ordered once everyone was clear of the cave. Ice Beams from Staryu and Starmie whipped through the air, covering the hole they had blown in the rock in ice.

"Come on," Misty said and they were moving again. Misty led the way. They kept their pace to a jog and Ash noticed that Misty was favoring her unbandaged leg, wincing whenever she put too much weight on the other leg.

A cacophony of smashing and crashing rocks sounded out behind them. A roar followed. Misty came to a halt.

"We're going to have to fight," Misty said, expression grim. "Just try to slow them down. Aim for their legs if you can. Run when you see an opportunity. "

"Right," Ash nodded. "I'll take any electric or grass types they brought. Pidgeotto, hide in a tree, Quick Attack when you see an opportunity. Pikachu, in front. Metapod, be ready to String Shot."

"Spread out," Misty added, limping several feet to the side. "Staryu, Starmie, make it slippery for our guests." Ice beams shot out and ice covered the ground, the sound of the rain changing from the soft tapping and splashing of water on soft earth and puddles, to the harsher beat of water on ice.

And then it came out of the forest. It was a large pokémon, monstrously so. Green with black markings and a steely underbelly. Bipedal and lizard like, with a mane of green spikes extending down its back. The tyranitar towered over the two young humans as it charged, snapping fully grown trees out of its way as if they were saplings.

"Water Gun!" Misty ordered even as Ash cried "Thunderbolt!" A pressurized stream of water jetted out from Staryu and Starmie. At the same time Pikachu lit up the night with crackling, buzzing, electric power, staining everything with a yellow light.

"Dark Armor!" A female voice cried out from somewhere behind the tyranitar. Dark power surged out of the tyranitar's body, the beginnings of a Dark Pulse attack. But instead of blasting out, the dark power solidified nearby, cocooning the tyranitar in dark flames. The attacks from Ash and Misty's pokémon splashed against the dark power and dissipated harmlessly.

"Well, crap," Misty muttered. "Ice Wall!" At her command Staryu and Starmie used Ice Beam to erect a wall of ice, keeping the beams on the ice to thicken the wall even after it was erected. At the same time wet leaves rustled as Pidgeotto shot out from her hiding place, slamming into something in the skies above.

_It's a golbat! _Pidgeotto shouted as the two humans looked up. Ash's flying type was locked in swirling, swooping, fluttering aerial combat with a large dark shape. _And I think I see another pokémon on our left!_

"Pikachu Thundershock everything on our left! Pidgeotto, keep that thing busy!" Ash shouted, turning to where Pidgeotto had warned him. Tendrils of electric power lashed out like seeking tentacles into the rain soaked dark forest. In the light of Pikachu's attack Ash saw a bipedal yellow pokémon with black, lightning shaped markings, two antennae, and two spikes of hair forming a sharp v on the front of its head, an electabuzz.

"Misty, I've got to fight a electabuzz," Ash shouted, taking off towards the new enemy, Metapod in his hands. "Pikachu, Thunder Wave!"

"I'll try and stop the big one then," Misty shouted back.

Ice shattered and the tyranitar's fist burst through the wall. Misty turned her attention to her battle.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

Some quick notes on things that I will explore in more depth in the story later, but some of you might find handy in the next chapter.

Remember how certain NPC trainers had fully evolved pokémon who should have been too low a level to evolve? From a doylist perspective it was for the purpose of game balance, but what about watsonian? What could the explanation be there?

In Symbiotic I'm going with the relatively common idea found on the internet, that being a type specialist gets you special perks, like being able to evolve pokémon early. And then let's take that further. What if you only specialized in a single pokémon? What advantages would that bring? Even earlier evolution? Faster leveling?

Another note, levels won't be a thing in universe, but I might use them to help describe some things from an out of universe perspective.

This is a roundabout way of warning you that things in this story might not make sense from a strictly game perspective in terms of strength and moves known, but there is a method to my madness.

Anyway, don't forget to review.

Minor edits as of 6/10/2020

:AN


	10. Chapter 10

Streams of electricity lashed to and fro, like a multitude of writhing snakes. Sparks began to fly from the trees as static electricity built up and was released along their branches. Constant shifting light illuminated the wet battlefield as Pikachu, Ash, and Metapod fought the electabuzz.

_String Shot! _Ash ordered as he leaned out from behind a tree, pointing Metapod at the electabuzz. A white line of silk shot out, only to be blackened, burned, and then incinerated by an aura of electric power surrounding the enemy pok_é_mon. The electabuzz didn't even bother to move.

"Electabuzz, Pattern A," a female voice spoke from the forest. It was loud, calm, and confident.

_Crap! _Pikachu and Ash said at the same time as four blasts of electricity shot out from the still electabuzz. Ash ducked back behind the tree and then rolled forward as the attack destroyed the tree, setting it alight. Electricity crackled above his head as the attack continued past him. Splintered bits of wood rained down around him.

Pikachu jumped over the electric death and onto the branches of a nearby tree. The two other attacks blazed into the forest. And then they all began to rotate clockwise, temporarily surrounding the electabuzz with a wide blindingly bright, yellow, buzzing disc that cleared the forest around it.

Ash scrambled behind another tree outside the blast radius, hair standing on end from the static.

_Another Thunder Wave! _Ash shouted. Rings of electricity flew from Pikachu attempting to earth themselves in the electabuzz's body and paralyze it. But, with an almost contemptuous flare of power, the electabuzz shattered those rings, again without moving.

"A foreign language?" The voice sounded out again. "That's a good idea kid. I think you've shown some real talent today. If you surrender, we'd spare your life under the condition that you join us."

"I don't even know who you are! Thundershock!" Ash shouted back and then sprinted away from his hiding spot as Pikachu attacked.

"Masking your movement with an attack. It's nothing ground breaking, but it's encouraging to see in a trainer so young." The voice said again. "I'm Hanna by the way, with Team Rocket."

Ash didn't respond. He took cover behind another tree and then looked around for the source of the voice. Nothing but darkness and trees. She had to be doing something to mask her location. Probably the only reason that she felt safe talking to him.

"No response? I guess our reputation has proceeded us," Hanna spoke again from the darkness. "Or did we manage to hit you? Are you unwilling or unable to talk? Electabuzz, flush them out."

Ash shut his eyes as a wall of yellow light swept through the forest, electricity blasting between trees. His cover held; the attack must have sacrificed power for coverage. Pikachu wasn't so lucky. With a squeak of pain, he fell from the branch he was hiding in.

_I'm getting real sick of this pokémon, _Pikachu growled. _Ash we need a plan!_

_Thunderbolt! _Ash ordered. _Keep him focused on you!_

Pikachu obeyed and blasted at Electabuzz. The rocket pokémon growled as Pikachu's attack coursed through him and then flared his own electric power as a counter. Electricity pushed against electricity, sending sparks flying, and tiny tendrils reached out from the clash to earth themselves in the earth and trees.

"Still alive then." Hanna said. "I don't want to kill a child, but I will if left no other choice. Surrender soon, or you won't get another chance to."

_String Shot, _Ash muttered to Metapod. _Best you can do. _Another blast of silk soared through the dark forest and hit the electabuzz's arm, trapping it against its' side. Ash grabbed the line and yanked with all his might, pulling the electabuzz off balance. Its concentration faltered and Pikachu's attack smashed back into it, sending it sprawling into mud and fried earth.

Metapod cut the line and Ash let go, running for another hiding spot, just before a jolt of electricity ran up the silk. The silk burned and a blast of yellow power sent Ash sprawling.

_They didn't like that I see, _Ash groaned as he picked himself and Metapod up. He looked back at the enemy pokémon. It was mildly singed, but looked otherwise unhurt.

Pikachu appeared at Ash's side, skidding to a stop in the mud. He was also slightly singed, wet, and covered in muddy brush.

_I hit it with a pretty good shot and it did nothing, _Pikachu admitted. _I don't think I can win like this._

_Pidgeotto's still busy, _Ash replied. _And he burns away String Shot too quickly._

_What are we going to do Ash? _Metapod asked. _Can we beat it?_

_We can beat it! _Pikachu declared. _I'm too awesome to lose to a jerk like that. The question is how are we going to beat it?_

_I need to think, _Ash said. _Warn me if it looks like they're getting close._

Ash closed his eyes. What did he know about the electabuzz from their battle so far? It had powerful electric attacks. It used those attacks for both offense and defense.

What else did he know? Ash thought back on the fight. The electabuzz barely moved. Was that because it didn't need to? Or because of some other reason?

Ash remembered his conversations about pokémon training with his caretakes and his classmates. While a pokémon could be good at most aspects of battling, at defense, physical attacks, special attacks, speed, accuracy, and evasion, most pokémon were not trained that way. With a few exceptions, if a pokémon was good at everything, it meant that they passed up the chance to excel at a smaller number of things. The exceptions tended to be monsters like dragonites or legendary pokémon.

The enemy favored long range special attacks. Maybe it was an artillery type pokémon? Meant to destroy enemies or support friends with strong special attacks from a distance? Then it shouldn't be very good at close quarters combat.

Ash took a deep breath as he came up with a plan.

_Pikachu, _the human said, amber eyes opening. _Here's what we're going to do. You're going to use Speed Burst to run circles around it. Keep hitting it from every direction with Thundershock, don't let up._

_That's going to exhaust me before it hurts it, _Pikachu replied.

_This is just the start, _Ash told his pokémon. _When the moment is right, I want you to use Quick Attack on it and don't stop using it. Beat it to a pulp._

_Alright, _Pikachu nodded, a serious expression on his face. _I'll do it. _And with that he was off, mud splattering as he accelerated away.

_Jerkface! _Pikachu shouted as he suddenly appeared in front of the enemy pokémon, blasting at it with a Thundershock. Electabuzz growled and let loose his own electric attack, but Pikachu was already gone.

_Your trainer is ugly! _Pikachu called out from behind the electabuzz, blasting it again. Once more Electabuzz retaliated and once more Pikachu was gone.

_And she smells awful! _Pikachu continued to taunt and attack the enemy from many different directions, zipping around the battlefield too fast for the eye to track. He was moving so fast that sometimes it seemed like there might have been multiple Pikachus.

"Keep calm Electabuzz," Hanna said. "Pattern E."

A multitude of small electric tendrils extended from the electabuzz, seeking, searching, reaching, moving like many grasping limbs. They earthed themselves all around the battlefield and then began to move, carving tiny furrows in the earth. Pikachu ducked and dodged, twisting around arcs of electricity, and continued to harass his foe.

Meanwhile Ash had found a spot good spot with a clear line of sight on the electabuzz. He braced himself against a tree root and pointed Metapod at the enemy.

_Alright, when you see an opportunity, hit it in the eyes with String Shot, _Ash told his pokémon. _Keep in mind we've only got one shot at this, so make it count._

_Got it! _Metapdo said, staring through the trees, at the battle lit by electric flashes. The fight continued for another minute, another minute of Pikachu dodging and attacking between the buzzing streams of power that the electabuzz let off.

Pikachu began to pant, his movements were becoming less crisp, and he was slowing down. If not for the rain he would have been soaked through in sweat.

The electabuzz, for its part, was singed all over from Pikachu's attacks, and was growling as it tried to blast Ash's pokémon. With a roar and a great flash of light it let loose an explosion of electric power, blasting the ground and surrounding trees at random.

The attack faded and Pikachu stood on trembling legs before his foe, glaring up at the electabuzz. Electabuzz glared back down at its foe.

And then silk splattered all over its face completely wrapping its head and blinding it.

_Quick Attack! _Ash shouted, seizing the opportunity.

Grinning and feeling a second wind, Pikachu launched himself forward and slammed his body into the electabuzz's gut. Pikachu used his enemy as a spring board, launching himself at a tree, and then used Quick Attack again. His form became a blur as Pikachu bounced around the battlefield, rapidly pummeling his foe without mercy. Electabuzz staggered drunkenly, not even able to tear at the silk over its face as its limbs and head were knocked about by the near constant impacts.

Pikachu smashed into one ankle and then another, making the electabuzz slip. Before it could hit the ground, Pikachu was above it, launching himself into a tree.

_And this is because you're a jerk! _Pikachu shouted and launched one final Quick Attack, pile driving the electabuzz's head into the ground. Pikachu bounced off and came to a stop before his enemy, looking for movement, but the electabuzz was still.

A beam of red light came from the dark woods and electabuzz was recalled. Ash and his team looked in the direction it had come from, looking for the trainer, or more pokémon, but there was only darkness and the sound of falling rain.

* * *

Ice shattered under the feet of the tyranitar as it chased after Misty. She knelt on Starmie's back, who was swiftly sliding away from the tyranitar, coating the ground ahead of them with ice. Staryu rolled on its side nearby, making sure to stay close to its trainer.

Misty had tried attacking the beast several more times to no avail. The tyranitar was quick with its defensive moves. At the first sign of a water or ice attack it countered with a pulse of dark energies.

Misty grit her teeth; what good was type advantage if you never got a chance to use it?

Swishing and swerving the chase continued through the forest. Misty clenched her fist as trees whipped by. She had screwed up so many times to reach this point.

First, when she spotted the poachers, she hadn't reported them and their location. Second, she decided to try and deal with the situation by herself, instead of calling for reinforcements. Third, she didn't make a call to either her gym in Cerulean or the gym in Pewter City to report what she was about to do. Fourth, she didn't try to incapacitate the suspected poachers before revealing herself.

And now here she was, with two crossbow wounds, covered in mud, being chased by a tyranitar, and having to worry about a newbie trainer that had gotten caught up in her screw up. Who, even now, was probably engaged in a life or death battle that there was almost no chance he was prepared for, and all she could do was hope for a miracle and try and distract the tyranitar to give him the barest of chances to get out of her mess alive.

Her sisters had been right. She wasn't ready.

"Alright, let's try to turn this around," Misty muttered to herself. "Starmie Ice Beam. Staryu, make a small ledge of ice to try and trip it up."

Starmie let loose another white blue beam of ice from one of its points even as it carried its trainer over its trail of ice. Once more the tyranitar blocked the beam with a pulse of dark power. But at the same Staryu launched its own Ice Beam to create an ankle high wall of ice.

The tyranitar fell like an ancient tree, deceptively slow and with a great deal of crashing. Mud and ice were sent flying as the large pokémon came down.

"Bubblebeam and Ice Beam!" Misty ordered her pokémon, intending to seize the opportunity, but anther voice cried out at the same time. "Dark Armor and Dig Tyranitar!"

Dark energies flared up around the fallen pokémon, intercepting the attacks from Misty's pokémon, and then the tyranitar disappeared into the ground. Misty growled. The tyranitar could pop up anywhere now. But at least she now knew that the tyranitar's trainer was still nearby…...

Might as well slow it down. "Starmie, cover the ground in ice!" She told her pokémon. "Try and stop it from getting out of there!"

Thick sheets of ice covered the muddy ground, turning the battlefield into an outdoor ice rink with trees. Misty idly wished that she had brought some skates. But, as long as she was at it, she might as well wish that one of her pokémon knew Hydro Canon or Hydro Pump, or was simply powerful enough to blast through the tyranitar's defenses.

There was a creaking beneath her and she and Starmie slid away. Cracks spread out through the nearby ice and the tyranitar blasted its way out of the ground.

"Bubblebeam, both of you!" Misty shouted. High pressure streams of bubbles shot out from both of her pokémon, watery bullets streaming at the tyranitar. Tyranitar blocked the attacks again, but was sent sliding back on the ice.

"Keep it up!" Misty ordered. This was their chance! Starmie and Staryu kept up their barrage of bubbles, blasting the beleaguered tyranitar back. It tried to dig its claws into the ground to brace itself, to arrest its growing speed and momentum, but couldn't find purchase on the ice. Its burning dark armor shrank under the constant attacks.

Finally, it was pushed to the edge of the ice and beyond. Tyranitar was sent soaring over the ground, smashing through branches as it was hurtled in to the darkness.

Misty let out a sigh of relief. Maybe now-

A large rock came from the direction the tyranitar had been sent. It narrowly missed Misty and her pokémon, destroying yet another tree instead.

"Time to go," Misty told her pokémon. "Let's see if we can help Aaron."

* * *

Pidgeotto and the golbat were still locked in aerial combat when Ash returned to the site where he and Misty had split up.

_Pikachu, Thundershock around Pidgeotto! _Ash ordered. _Take out that golbat!_

Pikachu's attack reached skyward, twisting around his comrade, and earthed itself in the golbat. It fell from the air and thudded in the mud nearby.

_It's- _Pidgeotto was panting heavily as she landed on Ash's shoulder. _It's good to- to- see you again. What took- took so long?_

_There was a real ass of an electabuzz, _Pikachu said. _But I managed to beat him._

_And I helped! _Metapod added proudly.

_Have you seen Misty? _Ash asked, looking around for the orange-haired trainer. There was a trail of ice leading away from their current location, but no sign of the human or her pokémon.

_I think I hear something, _Pikachu said from on top of Ash's head, his ear twitching. _I think it's her._

Ash heard the sound of ice creaking and then a trail of ice froze its way over to him. Misty returned on her starmie. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw him.

"I managed to lose the tyranitar and its trainer for a bit," she told the other trainer. "How did you do?"

"We got the electabuzz and the golbat," Ash reported. He looked at his pokémon, at Pikachu and Pidgeotto, panting and covered in sweat. "But my pokémon are tired."

"Pretty much the same here," Misty said, looking at Starmie who's purple prongs were dropping. Icing over so much ground, so quickly, had been too much for it. "Damn, that tyranitar! What have they been feeding it?"

"No clue," Ash replied, recalling Pidgeotto and Metapod so that they could rest. "Oh, the woman I was battling said they were with Team Rocket."

"Looks like I was right then," Misty said. "Doesn't matter now. We've got to get moving before that tyranitar gets back."

And then there was a now familiar roar and crashing sound. Misty's eyes closed and her shoulders slumped. She took a deep breath and looked at her pokémon.

"Aaron grab onto Starmie's prongs," she said, grabbing the other human by the shoulders, guiding him over to her pokémon. "Starmie, get Aaron out of here. Get to Pewter City."

"Wait, what?" Ash said, automatically grabbing the purple prongs. "What are you going to-"

"Ice Bindings please Staryu," Misty interrupted him. A small ice beam shot out, locking Ash's hands onto the starmie. "Starmie go! I'll hold them off."

"Wait, no- "Ash tried to protest, but Starmie took off then, paving its way with ice, taking the struggling trainer away from the battle.

Misty nodded and returned to her battle.

* * *

_Let us off! _Pikachu exclaimed from his spot on Ash's head. _Are you just going to abandon your trainer?_

_I don't like this, _Starmie replied as it left Misty behind in the dark forest. _But I trust her. If she wants to get your trainer to safety then I'll do it. I'm- I'm sure- I'm sure she'll be fine._

Ash grit his teeth and struggled against the icy bindings. They wouldn't break and his struggles unbalanced Starmie.

_Get your human to quit struggling, _Starmie told Pikachu.

_I'm not going to quit, _Ash growled. _I'm not going to abandon someone!_

_Did you just- _Starmie began, before losing focus and control. Ash, Pikachu, and Starmie were sent tumbling through the mud. Ash's bonds broke and he rolled away from Misty's pokémon. He got to his feet as quickly as he could.

_Did you just speak properly? _Starmie finished. _I thought I might have heard you do that before, but thought I was just hearing things._

_No time for that, _Pikachu said. _Ash, what's the plan?_

_Ash? I thought his name was Aaron-_

_Here's what we're going to do, _Ash said, ignoring Starmie. White light flashed. Pidgeotto and Metapod came back out. _You three are going to go to Pewter City and get help. You can go with too Starmie, or you can come with me and try to help Misty._

_Wait, what? _Pikachu shouted, throwing up his forepaws. _Oh, by the First Sparks of Life, didn't we just get upset at Misty for doing this exact thing? And now you're getting in on the fun, you utter idiot!_

_Look, you're all exhausted, _Ash explained, taking off his backpack. _Don't bother trying to deny it. There's nothing more you can do to help here. But you can go to Pewter City and contact the gym to send some reinforcements._

_And what will you do!? _Pikachu demanded. _What do you think you can do against that monster?_

_I don't know, but I'm fresh, _Ash replied. _Look, you were the one who wanted me to exercise while you were training because you thought I should suffer too. I'm just applying that principle here._

_You- you- _Pikachu sputtered, but Starmie interrupted.

_I'm going back to help Misty if I can't get you to go to Pewter City, _Starmie said.

_Okay. Pidgeotto, once you've rested a bit, you'll need to fly Metapod and Pikachu to Pewter City. Do you know how to get there from here? _Ash asked.

_I think so, but- _Pidgeotto began, but Ash kept talking.

_Good. Go to either the gym or the pokémon center and do your best to get them to follow you. Try to indicate that it's Team Rocket we're dealing with. Lead them back here. _Ash told her. _If we're still in the area we'll keep an eye out for you. Otherwise just have them keep searching. Goodbye and good luck._

_Ash, don't- _Metapod protested, but the human had already started running back the way he had come. Starmie followed, sliding on ice.

The three pokémon stood in silence as their trainer vanished into the darkness. For minutes there were no words exchanged. They were surrounded by the sound of falling rain and their own tired panting.

_Well, I think I could get us started soon, _Pidgeotto said eventually. _We'll have to stay below the tree line to avoid the lightning, but once the storm lets up-_

_Ash will be dead! _Pikachu growled, clenching his forepaws into fists. _Of all the cockamamie schemes he could have come up with! Of all the stupid ideas! We need to go back and save him! And then I get to kill him for being so stupid!_

_Well, what can we do? _Pidgeotto asked. _We're all spent, except for Metapod, and he can't do anything other than String Shot-_

_That's not true, _Pikachu said. _Remember what Ash said earlier? There is a way we can use metapod. Other than as a club to beat some sense into our damn trainer._

* * *

The battle had moved from where Ash had last seen Misty, but it wasn't hard to find where it went. Large puddles of water and trails of ice were scattered about the forest, mixing with downed and shattered trees. It was like some combination of tornado, hailstorm, and blizzard had passed through.

There were several half domes of ice erected here and there, just big enough to shelter a person and a pokémon. Ash could hear the tyranitar roar off in the distance. He knew he was getting close. He crept forward, elbows and knees in the mud, peering through a bush to try and get a glimpse of the current fight.

_She's going to be hiding in one of those ice domes, _Starmie informed him. _But most of these are going to be decoys._

_Do you have any way of telling which one she's in? _Ash asked.

_I do have some psychic abilities, and a sort of electric sonar, _Starmie replied. _But I've never really trained with those. Give me a minute._

Ash waited while the tyranitar went about smashing the ice domes. Each time it came across one Ash held his breath, hoping that Misty was safe. Each time it turned out Misty wasn't in that particular dome, he let out a sigh of relief.

_Found her, _Starmie said. _This way. _The two of them crawled through mud away from the tyranitar's current position. Starmie led Ash to a half dome about a hundred meters away. When they got close a glaring Misty peeked out from behind the dome.

"What- Why- Just get over here and explain yourself Aaron," she managed to get out through gritted teeth. "And Starmie, what are you doing?"

"I came back to help," Ash explained as he joined her and Staryu behind the half dome. "I'm not going to abandon you."

Misty closed her eyes for several seconds, teeth gritted, hands flexing in and out of fists.

"Okay," Misty said, in a deceptively calm tone. "Are you trained for actual battles?"

"A little," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. "But nothing that would be, uh, what's the word, acknowledged? No, uh, accredited I think?"

"So, some informal training," Misty said in the same tone as earlier. "That might be worse than nothing. But fine, it looks like I can't get you too safety. Great. Just going to have to deal with your death on my conscience before I get killed as well. Fine. Great."

"Well, I don't intend to die," Ash replied. "Anyway, what can I do to help?"

"Which pokémon of yours is freshest?" Misty asked.

"Oh, I sent them to Pewter City to get some help," Ash admitted. "It's just me and your starmie."

At Ash's statement Misty's head dropped and she let her face fall into her hand. "And you didn't think to follow them?" She said through gritted teeth and her palm.

"They're all tired," Ash countered. "I'm not. What can I do to help?"

"You can't do anything against that tyranitar you stupid- "Misty hissed and then stopped. She reached into her backpack and took out an odd-looking baton. "There is one thing you can do." Misty said, handing Ash the baton. "This is a stun baton. Press the button on the end and you'll get a current flowing. The tyranitar's trainer is somewhere around here. If you can find her and shock her, then we might stand a chance. She can be a hostage. I'll distract the tyrnaitar some more."

"On it," Ash said with a nod. "Do you know where the trainer is?"

"I have no idea," Misty answered. "Otherwise I would have gone after her myself."

"Your starmie could locate her," Ash said. "That's how I found you."

"I considered that earlier," Misty replied, staring in the direction that the sounds of the tyranitar smashing ice were coming from. "But I didn't have time back then. Now we might have a chance to try that. Okay Starmie, try and find the trainer."

_Yes,_ Starmie replied.

"While its working, we need to split up," Misty went on. "If something happens to me, run away and don't come back. I mean it this time."

"Sorry, just going to ignore that," Ash replied as he and Starmie began to crawl away. Misty gritted her teeth, hands curling into fists, and then shook her head.

"No time for this. Just gotta focus." She said to herself.

_I've found them, _Starmie told Ash after they had gone a little way. _She's about fifty meters to the north._

_Which way's north? _Ash asked. _I've lost track in all the excitement._

_Forward and to our left, _Starmie answered. _Let's hurry._

"Water Gun!" Misty shouted from her hiding spot.

_What's she doing? _Ash and Starmie said in unison. They looked at each other.

_She's giving us a distraction, _Ash said. _You go back and help her out. Wait until you see an opportunity and then strike. I'll get the trainer._

Ash crept forward in the dark and the rain while Misty resumed her battle with the tyranitar. Water and ice blasted at the beast's dark defenses once more. Ash wondered if the dark-type was also getting tired? There had to be a limit on how often it could use that defensive move.

When Ash was about twenty meters away from where Starmie had indicated that the other trainer was, Ash could see a vaguely human shaped outline that had to be them.

The tyranitar roared in pain for the first time in the battle. Ash glanced back. It looked like Starmie had managed to land a surprise blow, a Water Gun attack drilling a little way into the monster's rocky shoulder.

Finally, Ash thought to himself. It was about time they got a hit in.

He continued creeping through the mud towards the other trainer. He got to his feet behind a tree about five meters from where he thought the other trainer was. Ash tightened his grip on the stun baton. He really hoped that the Rocket didn't have any more pokémon.

He got even closer, moving silently through the forest as his caretakers had taught him so long ago. Two meters now. Still no sign that he had been noticed.

Ash pressed the button on the baton and charged in, aiming for the head. He swung with all of his might, knowing that this was their only chance-

The trainer whirled around just as he got in range, grabbing and twisting his wrist hard. Ash cried out in pain and drop the baton. She then used his moment of surprise to force Ash's arm behind his back.

"Not bad kid," the woman said to him. "Wish the fools I had to work with were half as smart." She used her grip to slam Ash's face into a nearby tree. Ash saw stars floating in his vision and staggered. She then proceeded to pummel him with sharp, precise punches to his kidneys and neck. Ash's legs went weak at the sudden pain.

Finally, she spun Ash around and brought her knee up into Ash's stomach. Ash wheezed as the air left his lungs. Muscles convulsed as his body attempted to expel any food within it, even though Ash hadn't eaten for hours. Ash felt his vision begin to dim.

His feet left the ground as the woman threw him away from her.

"Nothing personal kid," she said to him, before turning to her tyranitar. "Tyranitar! Get over here and kill this kid."

"Ice Beam as long as you can!" Misty shouted, panic creeping in at the edges of her voice. Once more two shining white-blue beams lanced out at the tyranitar and once more they were stopped by the dark blaze.

"Dark Pulse! As big as you can!" The rocket trainer shouted. The dark blaze expanded and exploded outward. Misty cried out and the Ice Beams were cut off.

"Now finish off this kid," the rocket trainer continued. Ash tried to pick himself up. He could hear the stomping footsteps of the tyranitar, feel the vibrations through the ground and mud. Panic and fear returned. What had happened to Misty?

What would happen to him?

He wouldn't die crying. He wanted to die on his feet. He didn't want the hunters to get him. He didn't want Misty to be dead.

Ash didn't want to die.

Ash got to his knees and looked up. The tyranitar was calmly walking over to him, unhurried, unstoppable, a malevolent mountain in the darkness.

There was nothing Ash could do/Ash knew he had to do something.

He tried to force himself to move, to do any-

Something in the sky whistled. Ash and the tyranitar looked up.

Too fast for the eye to track, a small and dark object hurtled from the stormy skies above, impacting the tyranitar with the force of a bomb. There was a shockwave, throwing away rain and mud. Tyranitar went down with a scream.

_And that's for trying to hurt my trainer! _Something small and angular rolled away from the Rocket pokémon. Metapod!

_I wasn't going to enjoy this before, but now I'm looking forward to killing your trainer, _Tyranitar roared, standing up. Bits of its face were gone and blood flowed freely. _Time to die little bug-_

A whirlwind engulfed him, picking up rocks and twigs, and then smashed them against the wounded tyranitar.

_A Gust attack? Is that the best you can do? _Tyranitar shouted skyward.

_It was a distraction asshole! _The world turned yellow. A blast of electricity lanced out into the tyranitar's marred face. Another scream of pain and the tyranitar was forced to its knees by the electric current.

"Dark Armor now!" The Rocket trainer shouted, trying to get her pokémon to act through the pain.

_Come on, get away from here,_ Pidgeotto said, coming down from the sky and hooking her talons into Ash's jacket, helping him up. _Metapod, send a line. _A line of string stuck itself to her foot.

_I thought I told you to go get help, _Ash managed to yell as the flying type led him and Metapod away.

_Pikachu thought you were being stupid, so we decided to ignore what you said, _Pidgeotto informed him.

_That's not fair! _Metapod protested. _Pikachu always thinks Ash is being stupid. __**I**__ think Ash isn't usually as stupid as he was tonight._

_Thanks, _Ash said with a small laugh. They managed to limp over to the source of the electricity currently battering at the tyranitar.

Pikachu began to yell at the top of his lungs, upping the intensity of the Thunderbolt attack in accordance with his volume. A small patch of dark power was now between Tyranitar and Pikachu's attack, shielding the Rocket pokémon from the worst of the electricity.

_Ash, I've said this before, and I'll say it again, _Pikachu shouted as the yellow shine of his attack grew brighter. _You're an idiot! But you're __**my **__idiot! __**Our **__idiot! If you think we'll let you go off and die, then you've got another thing coming!_

_Pikachu…_

_Now get him out of here Pidgeotto! _Pikachu shouted. _While I take on this ass!_

_You don't get to give me that speech and then send me away! _Ash shouted back. _You're my pokémon and I'm not going to let you go off to danger without me!_

_Fine! Then at least get behind a tree! _Pikachu shouted. _Now eat electricity you overgrown rock lizard! _There was an awesome surge of power from Pikachu, briefly turning the bolt of electricity into a solid column of electricity. Yellow light flared like a newborn sun in the dark forest and the tyranitar roared back as it strove to counter the attack.

There was an explosion. Wind whipped at tree branches and Ash's clothes. Smoke billowed everywhere, blinding everyone.

Ash peaked around the tree when the smoke had cleared. Pikachu and the tyranitar stood in a clearing that the explosion had created, surrounded by trees steaming in the rain, staring each other down.

_Is that- _Tyranitar was panting- _is that all you've got. _Pikachu didn't bother to respond. Ash could see that his pokémon's legs were shaking; Pikachu was probably barely standing.

_That hurt, _Tyranitar admitted. _But it's obvious that you're out of energy. As soon as my trainer gives the word, I'm going to kill you and your trainer. And there's nothing you can do to stop me._

_I wouldn't be too sure about that, _Pikachu said, also panting. _My trainer's weird you see. Weird and stupid._

_So?_

_You might have noticed it a few times during this fight, but he can also speak properly, _Pikachu went on. He began to glow with a yellow-white light. Tiny streamers of electricity crackled from his cheeks and around his body. _So, unlike with most humans, we can hold a proper conversation with each other._

_And?_

_Well, you'd be surprised at the things you can learn from that, _Pikachu informed his foe. The glow around him intensified. _We had an interesting conversation today, and it gave me the idea for an attack._

_You're bluffing, _the tyranitar said. _You don't have the energy for another attack._

_You sure? Want to know what the conversation was about?_

Sparks began to pop from the ends of tree branches. Ash could feel hair all over his body start to stand on end. Tiny streamers of electricity began to rise from the ground around Pikachu, flying skywards and fading. Pikachu was surrounded by a yellow-white radiance, standing stark against the dark shape of the tyranitar before him. The electric pokémon grinned up at his foe.

_And you call me an idiot! _Ash swore. He knew what Pikachu was trying to do.

"Finish them!" The rocket trainer shouted.

_It was about the weather._

The world went white.

A bolt of lightning could be three times hotter than the surface of the sun, capable of causing great harm even with a near miss to one's person. It was a phenomenon far greater than humans could produce on their own. It could cause even the bravest of people to flinch under the sound of its sudden crack and the unsettling rumble of accompanying thunder.

Lightning was grand. Lightning was terrifying. Lightning was a reminder of the unstoppable forces that truly ruled the universe.

And Pikachu had just called up a massive bolt to strike the tyranitar.

Ash couldn't make out what was happening, the light was too bright, brighter than the sun at midday. He flinched when he heard the sharp whipcrack crash of lightning. The sound of thunder that followed it was like a physical thing. Ash could feel its rumble in his bones. He could feel it shake the forest.

And then there was silence.

It took several seconds for his vision to clear after the intense light. When it did so he peeked out from behind his cover to look at the battle field.

The tyranitar lay in the mud. It wasn't moving.

There was a scream filled with grief from its trainer. She ran into the clearing towards her downed pokémon. A pressurized jet of water speared her through the chest, blood squirting out of her back. She too went down.

Pikachu lay at the edge of the clearing. Wisps of smoke or steam rose from his fur. Ash couldn't see any movement from him.

_Pikachu, _Ash cried, rushing over to his pokémon. _Are you-_

_Awesome? _Pikachu said in a faint voice, slowly rolling over to look at Ash. _Very. _Ash swept him up in a hug.

_Don't do that to me again, _Ash said, clutching Pikachu tight.

_Consider it payback for trying to send us on without you, _Pikachu replied, coughing. Pidgeotto joined them, carrying Metapod.

_Great. You taught him to call down lighting. _Pidgeotto groaned. _I'm never going to feel safe again._

_It's true, _Pikachu added. _Thanks to your teachings Ash, I am now the most awesome electric type in Kanto! I can't wait to do this again!_

_Oh no, _Ash and Pidgeotto groaned in unison.

_Where's Misty? _Metapod asked. Ash felt his stomach drop out at the question.

_I'm- I'm not sure, _Ash said, growing tense and feeling like the bottom dropped out of his stomach again. There had been that Water Gun attack earlier, but he didn't hear Misty order that. It might have just been one of her pokémon acting on their own. What did that Dark Pulse attack do to her?

"Aaron! Are you out there?" Ash's head whipped around, searching for the source of the voice. Misty came limping out of the forest, an ugly bruise on her cheek, and a gash on her forehead, but otherwise she seemed fine.

"Misty! You're alive!" Ash cried out, rushing over to her and hugging her along with Pikachu. Some burden seemed to lift itself from his shoulders, some nameless pain was lessened in his gut, and elation ran through his veins. She was still alive!

"Yeah, it's nice to see you too," she said grinning and returning the hug. "It looks like your pokémon aren't any more obedient than you are."

"Errr," Ash let go of her and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. That might be true come to think of it…

"We got really lucky with that lightning strike," Misty went on, surveying the battlefield. "If the strike hadn't randomly happened-"

"It, uh, wasn't random actually," Ash replied, cheeks flushing. "I, uh, may have accidently taught my pikachu how to summon lightning."

"YOU WHAT!?"

* * *

Ash had to find his discarded backpack in the rainy night, following a trail of melting ice. Meanwhile Misty was doing something with the bodies of the Rocket trainer and her pokémon. By the time Ash returned with his supplies and set up his tent, the storm was over. Ash, too tired to setup a tent, change, or clean, just rolled out a sleeping bag and collapsed.

Morning was in full swing when he woke up again. Flying types chirped, bright sunlight shone down, and the ground wasn't so muddy. Ash sat up and yawned, dislodging his pokémon who had been sleeping on top of him.

_It's too early to be up, _Pikachu whined. _Another hour…._

_It's time for breakfast or maybe lunch actually, _Ash said, looking at the sun's position. He looked around. _Where's Misty? And why is there that block of ice?_

A block of ice sat nearby. When Ash went over to investigate it, he saw that there was a body within, a woman with shiny straight cut black hair. Her eyes were closed, arms were crossed, and there was a pokéball in her hand. Ash realized that it probably was the tyranitar's trainer, killed by a Water Gun attack in the night.

He stood in silence for several minutes, staring at the body. Last night had been the first and second times that he had seen a human die since he had been taken in by Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl. The first time since then that he had seen a human corpse.

_I was hoping to get away from this, _Ash said to nobody in particular.

_From what? _Metapod asked, rolling over to join his trainer. Pikachu and Pidgeotto followed.

_Death and killing I guess, _Ash replied, voice empty. _I didn't like the way pokémon lived. The way they killed and ate each other. Being a trainer was supposed to…. supposed to…... supposed to get me away from all that, I guess. But that didn't seem to go as planned._

_Oh, yes, _Pikachu rolled his eyes. _Because you didn't just stop one member of your team from killing and eating pokémon only a few days ago._

_And we didn't kill her for food, _Pidgeotto added. _She was trying to kill us._

_I thought it was Misty and her pokémon who killed her? _Metapod asked. _Pikachu killed her pokémon though._

_That I did, _Pikachu agreed, forepaws crossed, eyes closed, and nodding. _And it was awesome!_

Ash remembered the trainer's cry after her pokémon had been killed. How she abandoned her cover to try and get to it. The spray of blood as she was killed. That hadn't been 'awesome'.

Pikachu opened an eye when Ash didn't respond, got a look at the expression on his face, and then groaned.

_Don't tell me that you're upset that we killed them? _The yellow pokémon asked. _Did you want us to go non-lethal on them like it was just training? Did you want us-_

_I'm not mad at you, _Ash said, turning to his pokémon. _It's just- Well, I guess I'm not happy that anyone had to die. I wish we could have won without killing them. But I'm not mad at any of you for doing what you had to do to survive._

_Survive and be awesome! _Pikachu grinned, spark crackling off of his cheeks. _I just can't wait for the next thunderstorm!_

_Yeah, _Ash said in a more normal tone, rubbing the back of his head. _About that…_

_He was already a menace Ash, _Pidgeotto complained, ducking her head under her wing. _And now, thanks to you, he can summon lightning._

_It was really cool! _Metapod added.

_Pikachu, if you want to try that again, there is a lot more training we're going to have to do before the next thunderstorm, _Ash said. _We'll have to teach you Thunder for one-_

_Already know it, _Pikachu replied. _Didn't you see me turn that Thunderbolt into a Thunder when I hit that tyranitar? Or did you forget about that in light of all the other awesome things I did last night?_

_How do you know it? It's a high-level move-_

_My father learned it from a trained pokémon and taught it to me, _Pikachu answered. _I can really only use it once or twice before being exhausted, but I do know it._

_Okay. The next time you get to summon lightning is after you've shown really good control over Thunder, _Ash went on. _And we've got to teach you Double-Team soon. That fight with the electabuzz would've been so much easier with Double-Team. And Swift._

Lunch was forgotten while Ash and his team discussed training plans.

* * *

At the same time Misty was swimming in a nearby river. Starmie and Staryu rested on the riverbed, while Misty leisurely swam against the slow current. Goldeen, happy to be in an environment where she could be useful, kept guard.

Misty surfaced, floating on her back, and let out a sigh. Her hands trembled. She tried not to think. But her thoughts kept coming back to the people she had killed. She could remember the expression of grief on the woman she had killed, the expressions of terrified surprise on the Rocket trainers she had frozen when the clusterfuck began.

After the adrenaline had faded last night, as she was gathering what evidence she could, and preparing the body for preservation, she had felt hollow and yet filled. A nervous energy had filled her empty insides, like a nauseating swarm of locusts buzzing and hopping within her body. Even as tired as she had been from all the fighting, from forcing herself to stay professional to keep the rookie from panicking, and from her wounds, it had still been difficult to sleep.

She had needed this swim badly. Misty always felt better in the water. It was where her pokémon were at their best. It was where her family and friends at the gym had spent most of their time. It felt like home even when she was away from home.

Misty wondered how her sisters would react to the news of what had happened. Would they yell at her for her mistakes, for almost getting herself and a bystander killed, while also failing to rescue the poached pokémon? Or would they try to make her come home? Her sisters were both the leaders of her gym, and her guardians after their parents had died six years ago. They had the authority to make her come back, though Misty would still try and fight them.

At least Aaron and his pokémon had managed to come through.

Despite how stupid he had acted last night. And despite the way that he had been assaulted by the Rocket trainer. He might have gotten internal injuries! And that was on top of all the injuries he might have gotten before she had saved him. He might have gotten hit with a poison type attack and not noticed!

Misty grit her teeth at the thought.

Coming back without his pokémon! She shoulda slapped him upside the head for that. How stupid did you have to be to do that? And against a tyranitar of all things!

And then there was the fact that he had accidently taught his pikachu to summon lighting. How did someone even manage that? He was lucky that they both hadn't gotten fried!

That kid was going to get himself killed if he kept at it….

* * *

"We're going straight to Pewter City," Misty announced, hands on her hips, when she returned to the campsite, where Aaron and his pokémon were preparing to eat. "We're going to report in at the pokémon center, and you're going to get checked out by the doctors there. Don't even think of trying to get out of it."

"Uh, sure," Ash replied, a little taken aback.

"You're not going to send your pokémon on ahead to go to the pokémon center and then take a detour to go try and challenge the gym leader by wrestling his onix," Misty went on. "You're not going to try and scale Mt. Moon. You're not going to try and chase muks out of the sewer. You're going straight to the doctor, got it?"

"I mean, yeah," Ash said, wondering why she was badgering him about this. "I'm fine, but I'll do it. Besides, I've got to make sure you get there too after all." He went on, looking at her bandages again. They had been recently changed, but Ash could see the beginnings of a red stain appearing. The fight must have opened up her wounds again.

"I've got to report in to the police and a couple of gyms first," Misty told the boy.

"Oh, so I've got to visit the doctor, but yooooouuu get to go do other things…."

"I'm not stupid enough to try and fight a tyranitar without pokémon! I didn't get beaten up last night!"

"I didn't do that." Ash protested. "I just came back to see if I could help! And you got shot by crossbows!"

"You almost got us killed!" Misty reminded him. "Some help you were!"

"Almost!" Ash protested, standing up and getting in her face. "I couldn't just let you try and take them alone!"

"I'm a gym trainer! You're a kid who's been a trainer for less than a month!"

"Oh, look at me!" Ash replied, looking down his nose at the red head. "I'm Misty! I'm a high and mighty gym trainer who can take on a super powerful tyranitar with half of my pokémon! I don't need help from anyone!"

"Oh, look at me," Misty shot back, throwing up her arms. "Hurr, durr, I'm Aaron. I've just started, but I think I'm good enough that I don't even need any pokémon! Let me just blunder into battles and make things worse!"

"Oh, woe is me," Ash mock-preened. "I'm Miss Bossypants McBossy. I'm going to tell everyone what to do and get mad when they don't listen to my stupid ideas."

"Shrimp!"

"Jerk!"

_Okay, that's enough! _Pikachu cried out. _You're both being stupid and getting on my nerves!_

"Ohhh, sorry, are we bothering you?" Misty cooed, kneeling down to scratch Pikachu behind the ears. She sighed and looked at Ash. "He probably thinks we're being silly."

"Err," Ash rubbed the back of his head. That was almost, for a given value of almost, what Pikachu had said.

Misty pet Pikachu for a few seconds and then sighed.

"I'll go to the doctor when we check in, if you do the same" Misty said. "Does that work?"

"Okay," Ash answered, letting out a breath.

_Now that you two are done being stupid, _Pikachu said, _what's for lunch?_

* * *

AN:

First a PSA. Email alerts for Private Messaging on FFN are currently offline and PMs themselves might be having issues. You'll need to check Private Messaging on your account to see your messages.

Second, I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

Moving on. The author's note at the end of the last chapter was to explain why there was a tyranitar, but why the tyranitar was weak enough Ash and co to put up a fight. Some people might have been wondering how a pokemon that's supposed to be level fifty five in the games, could get beaten by pokemon that are much weaker. Short answer was that it wasn't actually level fifty-five, see last chapter's author's notes for more information about how that works.

Feel free to skip the following.

So this chapter and the preceding chapters contain everything that I had written by the time I had decided it was time to publish Symbiotic. Specifically the line "YOU WHAT!?" was when I felt like I should get this up on the internet. It took a little while to contact my old beta reader Magnive to go over the first two chapters, so I wrote what would become the rest of the chapter in the meantime.

Currently I have about 56,000 to 60,000 words published on FFN and AO3, depending on how you count it, and a total of 108,062 words written in the master document on my hard drive and my google drive. Even if I were to quit writing new material today you will all have another 40,000 words to look forward to.

Because my writing will probably slow down due to things that will be happening over the rest of the month, I'm taking a break from releasing chapters of Symbiotic. **The next chapter will be on January 1st instead of December 18th.**

(If you want something to read in the meantime, check out Remastered by Xuric. Last time I looked at it, the summary reads like it's a dime-a-dozen pokemon power fantasy, but it's really not. It's got a lot of good ideas, worldbuilding, plot lines, plot hooks, and character backstories. I really like what they did with Gary and Misty being friends since childhood, or what the lines on Ash's cheeks are, or the character of James, Jessie, and Meowth. It should be more popular than it is.)

Don't forget to review.

Edited as of 6/10/2020

:AN


	11. Chapter 11

It took them three days to get to Pewter City, hauling along the body encased in ice as they went. Misty periodically refroze the body, to keep the ice from melting. It was a morbid package and Ash stayed as far away from it as he could as they went. There were no stops to train, they kept moving except for when they needed to eat or sleep.

It was late morning on the third day when they came out of the forest and saw the city below them, at the base of a large hill where the forest ended. It was a small city, bringing back Ash's faint memories of Violet City, where he had lived years ago. He could see the rising slope of Mount Moon to the east, and the mountains around Indigo Plateau to the north and west.

Going down the hill with their icy load proved to be slightly troubling, but they managed it. As they got closer to the city proper, they started running into people again. People who gave them strange stares and let out gasps as they saw what was in the block of ice.

"I cannot wait to get rid of this thing," Misty said, face flushed after somebody screamed because they had seen the corpse she and her pokémon were pushing along an ice path. "Let's hope someone calls the cops before we have to trek all the way to the pokémon center."

Her wish did not come true.

Instead several men and women in blue police uniforms met them at the pokémon center, led by a woman with blue hair that Ash recognized as a member of the Jenny family/clan. He remembered Poison Lance and Pocket Watch occasionally trading theories about the nature of the mutation that ran through some families that caused a lot of their members to appear identical to each other.

"You couldn't have picked us up earlier?" Misty groused at the Jenny, as she reached into her pocket to pull out some ID cards. "Here's my trainer's license, Cerulean Gym identification card, and League ID."

"We just got the call about a boy and girl hauling a frozen corpse through town," Jenny replied, looking over the cards. "We figured you would be heading here. Well, these seem to be in order. Come on, we can debrief you inside- "

"She needs to see a doctor," Ash interrupted.

"And so does he," Misty shot back, giving Ash a pointed stare.

"We can have a doctor look at you both during the debriefing," Jenny said. "Jenkins, Hikaru, take care of the body."

Ash and Misty were led to separate rooms. A doctor came in to look over Ash. While that was happening, one of the police officers came in to ask him questions about what had happened in the forest. Ash answered as honestly as he could, doing his best to ignore Pikachu's commentary.

The officer left, instructing him to stay in the room until further notice. Soon after the doctor pronounced him healthy and also left. Ash pulled back on his jacket.

_Wonder why they had to separate us, _Ash idly asked.

_Probably to make sure you two tell the same story, _Pikachu replied. _I'm guessing that gym trainer or not, the police still get suspicious when you drag a body into town. _

_ Oh, _Ash said. _Well, this could be troublesome…... _

_ Do we need to start planning a prison break? _Pikachu asked, ears perking up. _Oh, this will be so awesome. First, I'll need to smuggle myself in- _

_ I doubt that, _Ash cut him off. _If they were planning on arresting me, they wouldn't have let me keep my pokémon. _

A little bit later, the office came in and told him that he was free to go. Ash asked if Misty was also free to go, and was told that she was still getting debriefed, and would probably have to stay at the pokémon center for the next couple of days. Ash thanked the officer for the information and then went to the lobby. He gave his pokémon over to the nurse on duty.

Ash then sat back down in the lobby, trying to figure out what he should do while he waited for his pokémon to be examined and healed. There was a TV playing in a ceiling corner, but it was showing boring news, not exciting shows. Maybe he should go eat? But Ash didn't know how exactly pokémon centers worked, other than the free healing. All he had was his caretakers outdated knowledge.

Maybe he should just wait for Misty? She'd probably know what to do. But he didn't know when the next chance to talk to her would be-

Talk? Right! Ash remembered that he should probably give Professor Oak a call. Oak had requested that Ash do so when Ash checked into his first pokémon center.

Ash found one of the centers video phones, looked around for a manual on operation and to see if there was any explanation about costs. Ash found one, confirmed that the call would be free as long it was under ten minutes, and then looked up Oak's number. He placed the call.

Professor Oak's face appeared on the screen.

"Aaron, it's good to hear from you!" The pokémon professor said. "I was starting to worry. Everyone else has checked in already."

"Sorry Professor," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. "I skipped Viridian City and went straight to Pewter City. And, uh, there was an incident in the Viridian Forest…."

Ash explained what had happened to him in the forest, the attack by Team Rocket.

"Well, at least me and my pokémon weren't hurt," Ash concluded. "We're all okay!"

"Yes, thankfully," Oak replied after a moment, face pale, eyes wide. "I'll have to look up the reports of this incident. They'll probably send out a few ranger squadrons to make sure there aren't any more Rockets in the forest. Have you told your parents about this yet?"

"Uh….." Ash rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of an answer.

"I'll take that as a no," Oak sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You'll want to tell them as soon as possible. I can only imagine what their reaction would be if they had to hear about this from the news or the League."

"I'll try to tell them soon," Ash replied, knowing that there wasn't an easy way to send a message to the middle of the forest.

"Would you like me to pass it along to them?" Oak asked. "If you give me your address or their phone number, I can contact them for you."

"That's okay professor," Ash said as fast as he could. "I'll tell them."

"If you want," Oak replied. "It would be nice to meet them. Do you know that I've met all the other parents of the trainers I gave pokémon out to? You're the only one whose parents I have yet to meet. Maybe I should-"

"Anyway, how's Gary doing?" Ash asked, in a hurry to change the subject.

"Oh, he's been doing well," Oak replied, his face having returned to its normal appearance over the course of the conversation. "He managed to catch several pokémon thus far."

"Where is he now?"

"Actually, he's somewhere around Pewter City last time I checked." Oak answered. "I'll tell him where you are, he might want to visit."

"That would be fun!" Ash exclaimed.

"I'll tell him you said that," Oak replied. "Is there anything else you want to discuss?"

"Just a few questions about pokémon centers."

* * *

Around that time Misty also had a video call.

"You did what, you runt?!" A svelte woman with cherry red hair and blue eyes shouted over the phone.

"Misty," a very similar looking woman with blonde hair and green eyes sighed. "Just what were you thinking?"

"I guess expecting you to stay out of trouble was just too much to hope for," a third woman with blue hair and brown eyes commented.

Misty cringed at the comments from her sisters, Lily, Daisy, and Violet. She had not been looking forward to this conversation.

"I screwed up, I know, I know," Misty replied. "I should've called in before doing anything. But I managed to get everyone out unscathed-"

"You were shot twice!" Lily interrupted, leaning forward to glare at Misty through the screen. "That's not unscathed!"

"Without any permanent damage," Misty corrected herself. "Look- "

"There's nothing to look at," Lily went on, gripping the sides of the screen like she was trying to grab Misty through it. "You obviously weren't ready to leave. You're coming back right now miss!"

"Oh, that's crap!" Misty protested. "Most trainers start two years younger than me!"

"Most trainers don't think they can take on a group of Rockets either!" Lily shouted back.

"Calm down Lily," Daisy said.

"Don't let the runt get under your skin," Violet said, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"I didn't intend to take them on," Misty said. "And I didn't know they were with Team Rocket. I thought they were just a bunch of low-life poachers. I thought I could scare them away. I know, I know, I was wrong-"

"Damn right you were!" Lily said, slamming a fist on the desk she was using. "Now, you're getting on the next bus back to Cerulean City and-"

"Lily," Daisy interrupted. "We don't need to do that to her."

"But she-"

"She is old enough to travel as a trainer," Daisy went on. "And while I'm not happy about her recent spat of poor judgement-"

"Or the several previous years of poor judgment," Violet interjected, grinning.

"I think that she's capable of taking care of herself as well as any other trainer," Daisy went on, ignoring Violet. "She did manage to get herself and a rookie trainer out of the situation alive."

"He didn't make it easy," Misty muttered under her breath.

"The fact that the runt was even in that situation in the first place shows that she isn't ready," Lily huffed drawing back from the screen.

"While Misty certainly could have handled herself better," Daisy said, "no one was expecting Team Rocket to be operating in the Viridian Forest, not with all the extra security in Pallet Town. We can't reasonably blame her for that."

"Fine!" Lily threw up her hands. "She doesn't need to come home. She can keep going and get herself killed! If nobody else cares about that, then I won't either!"

"Oh, don't worry!" Misty shouted back. "I'm not going to die and give you the satisfaction!"

"That's the spirit!" Violet said cheerily, earning glares from the rest of her sisters.

"Anywaaay," Daisy went on, rolling her eyes and turning back to Misty. "We still have plenty to discuss about your recent…. adventure."

Misty winced. This was not going to be fun.

* * *

_Well that was an experience, _Pikachu commented as the on-duty nurse gave Ash back his pokémon.

_Haven't you ever been to a pokémon center before? _Ash asked quietly as he carried his pikachu away.

_Nope, _Pikachu answered. _I was not prepared for what they did with that thermometer. _

_ You mean stick it in your mouth? _

_ Yeah, _Pikachu said. _I thought you'd just have to hold it against whatever you needed to take the temperature of, not stick the thing in you. _

_ You know, for some thermometers, they have to stick it up your butt. _

_ What!? _Pikachu exclaimed. _That's just- just- just weird! _

_ I know, right? _Ash hooked Pidgeotto's and Metapod's pokéballs to his belt and then let Pikachu scramble up onto his shoulder. _Let's go eat. _

He went over to the cafeteria. Oak had informed him that a pokémon center would offer visiting trainers at least one day's free room and board a month, maybe more than that, depending on the local conditions. Ash had found an electronic display with the information for the Pewter City Pokémon Center in the lobby. Currently the center was offering a free week, though there was a warning stating that the offer might be terminated without notice. Ash guessed that it must be an off season for the Pewter City Pokémon Center.

He grabbed some food from the buffet and a few bags of poké-chow for his team. There were a few other people in the cafeteria, most of whom were eating with their pokémon. Ash found a booth and released Pidgeotto and Metapod.

_Food! Thank you, Ash, I'm really hungry, _Metapod exclaimed at the sight of the poké-chow.

_Yum, free grooming and food, _Pidgeotto sighed. _This is the life. _

_ They groomed you? _Pikachu asked, as Ash poured chow into three bowls.

_Yeah, I was surprised, so I asked about that, _Pidgeotto replied, _but it's just part of the standard care package for feathered pokémon. Oh, wow, Ash, do humans normally eat that much? _

_ I don't know, _Ash whispered after glancing around to see if there were any nearby humans that could overhear him, _but I'm going to find out. _

His caretakers, always fearful of running out of supplies, had tended to limit Ash's food intake. The school cafeterias had unintentionally done the same thing with their pre-made meals. While Ash had never starved or been malnourished, he had never really been able to indulge in food before. He intended to make the most of his current freedom.

By stuffing as much free food into his mouth as he could, as fast as he could.

There was little talk as he and his pokémon dug into their meals. When Ash was about halfway through his plate, Misty came into the cafeteria. She looked around, spotted him, and walked over to his booth.

"Did they ask you a lot of questions?" she asked, sliding into the seat across from Ash. Pidgeotto scooted over to make room.

"Not really," Ash replied, barely remembering not to talk with his mouth full. "You?"

"I had to fill out a report," Misty groaned. "And then I had to go over it several times with the police, a gym trainer from the local gym, and then my sisters."

"Your sisters?"

"They're with the Cerulean Gym," Misty answered. "They were angry about how I handled things."

"Oh," Ash replied. He had thought she had done a fine job against the Rockets, except for the last part where she tried to hold them off by herself.

"And I'm stuck here for a few days to answer some questions," Misty sighed and then stretched. "Ah, well. I could use the break. So, what are your plans?"

"I was going to stay here and train for a bit," Ash answered. "And then I was going to try and challenge the gym. Do you know what type the gym uses here?"

"They're a rock-type gym," Misty replied and Ash winced. He knew that rock-type pokémon often had a secondary ground-typing, which meant that his current team would have issues. Misty noticed his wince and went on: "Don't worry about beating them. As long as you perform well in the battle or test they have, they'll give you your badge and your advancement."

"Advancement?"

"Money meant to support you until your next gym challenge, or until the Indigo Conference," Misty explained. "Course the conference is cancelled this year and next year, due to the Kanto-Johto merger that's been all over the news-"

"Err," Ash rubbed the back of his head. This was the first time he'd heard of such a thing. They didn't exactly get newspapers or news programs in the forest. Misty noticed this reaction as well and let her face fall into her hand, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

"For your information, since you've evidently been living under a rock, the Kanto League and the Johto League are merging by the end of the year," Misty said. "We'll each keep our current Assemblies, but there will be one Elite organization for both regions, and the two Leagues chains of command will be combined."

"But that means there's no big tournament next spring?" Ash inquired.

"Yes."

"Ah," Ash sighed. He had been looking forward to that. Maybe next year.

"Did the doctors find any injuries?" Misty asked.

"No. I was fine, like I told you," Ash replied. "You're the one with the injuries. What did the doctor say about you?"

"You might have had internal injuries," Misty shot back. "Or maybe they poisoned you with something slow! Or maybe the drowzee had done something to you! And, for your information, the doctors thought I did a fine job caring for those crossbow wounds!"

"Well you were wrong about me and I was right Bossypants McBossy! You should've worried more about yourself and less about telling me what to do!"

"Given the stunt you pulled shrimp, it's obvious that you need someone to tell you what to do you-"

_Which is my job actually, _Pikachu interjected.

"-because you obviously are too stupid to survive on your own!"

_She's not wrong, _Pikachu commented.

"Oh, like what you did was any better!" Ash shot back.

"At least I had my pokémon with me!" Misty retorted.

The two humans bickered a bit more, while Ash's food cooled. Eventually they ran out of things to verbally throw at each other. Ash returned to his meal, and Misty fetched some food for herself. She sat back down and the two of them silently glowered at each other for the rest of the meal.

* * *

_Ah, civilization, _Pikachu sighed when he and Ash got to their room in the pokémon center. _How I've missed you and your free electricity!_

_ Electricity isn't free, _Ash said.

_I've never had to pay for it, _Pikachu replied, looking around for wires.

_Don't chew on any wires, _Ash told his pokémon. _Do you like batteries? After we challenge the gym I can buy you some. _

_ I can't eat the electricity in batteries, _Pikachu said. _Maybe if you set up a circuit. Why can't I eat the electricity here? _

_ You'd damage the wires and I don't have the money to pay for that, _Ash answered. _Besides, you've already eaten. _

_ But electricity tastes so good! _Pikachu whined. _Fine, idiot, I won't eat any of that delicious electricity. Oh, cruel fate, how could you saddle me with such a trainer? _

_ What did I do to get stuck with such a pikachu? _Ash replied, rolling his eyes.

_You must have done some very good things in a past life to get a pikachu as awesome as me, _Pikachu shot back. _I'm badass, cool, stylish- _

_ Ticklish._

_ Huh? Wait, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA-STOP- HAHAHAHA-UNHAND ME HUMAN-AHAHAHAAAAA _

Pikachu unleashed a small electric shock into Ash, causing the human to fall back into the room's bed. Pikachu jumped on top of the prone humans' chest.

_It's my victory human! What do I win! _

_ A hug, _Ash replied, kicking off his shoes, hugging the pokémon to his chest, and getting under the blankets.

_Oh, you're lucky that you humans are so cute, _Pikachu said, snuggling into the hug.

_I know why we humans find you pokémon cute, but why do you pokémon find us humans cute? _

_ Because you're so big and helpless, _Pikachu answered. _Or small and helpless if you listen to the bigger pokémon. _

_ Helpless!? _Ash protested.

_ No electricity, no fire, no ice, no poison of your own, most of you aren't psychic, and none of you can do a Hyper Beam! _Pikachu explained. _I don't know about you, but I'd call that pretty helpless. _

_ Helpless, hmmf, _Ash huffed. _You know if other humans could understand you, none of them would find you cute. _

_ Oh please, like you don't think I'm adorable. _

* * *

The next day arrived. Ash slept in until late morning and then got up. He then used the facilities, something that he wasn't sure he would ever get used to after living in the forest for so long. Being able to control the temperature of the water he cleaned himself with was an alien concept to the boy.

By the time Ash was done, it was lunchtime. He and his team headed for the cafeteria, grabbed some food, and sat down. They had barely started to eat when a familiar face burst into the cafeteria.

"Gary!" Ash exclaimed grinning broadly and waving at the other boy. Gary rushed over to Ash's table, sweating and short of breath like he had just run some distance.

"Aaron! Is what Gramps said true? You got attacked by Team Rocket?" Despite the obvious signs of exertion Gary's face was pale. He grabbed Ash in a hug.

"Yeah," Ash answered, returning the hug. "It wasn't nice."

"Did you get hurt?" Gary asked, letting Ash go and examining his rival.

"Only some bruises," Ash answered. "And my team was only exhausted."

_And awesome! _Pikachu added. _Don't forget awesome! _

"Oh, thank Cresselia," Gary breathed out, collapsing in the booth opposite Ash, ignoring the squawks from Pidgeotto who had to make room for him. "I almost didn't believe it at first when Gramps gave me the news this morning, but there was an article in one of the newspapers, and I had to get back here."

Ash didn't know what to say to that.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gary asked after a minute or so of silence.

"Ummmmmm, there's not much to say," Ash answered. "I mean the part where the drowzee nearly killed me was really bad, but Misty saved me then. The tyranitar and her trainer were really scary. The fight against the electabuzz was kind of, uh, fun I think."

"Fun!?"

"I didn't think it was fun at the time, but looking back, it sort of was. Me and my pokémon had to work really hard to win," Ash replied. "And nobody died or was really hurt. I mean knowing that the other trainer was trying to kill me wasn't fun, but the rest was."

"Okay, fine," Gary sighed. "You can be so weird."

Again, Ash didn't know what to say to that.

"So, this is your team?" Gary asked after a moment, looking at the pokémon. "Are you planning on expanding it, or will you focus on these three?"

"I don't know," Ash shrugged. "If I meet any other pokémon who want to come with me I'll take them. If I don't, then I'll train these three."

"And the pikachu was your starter?"

"Yes," Ash sighed. "He's a handful."

_I heard that! _

"Yeah, Gramps complained about how he kept shocking him," Gary's smirk returned, and he looked less pale. "My Eevee on the other hand is great! No problems with her!"

"That's cool," Ash said. "We should have a battle."

"Yes!" Gary grinned. "How many pokémon?"

"One on one. Your Eevee versus my Pikachu," Ash said, returning the grin. "If you're up for it, Pikachu."

_Sure! Might as well get the blood pumping today. _Pikachu grinned, sparks falling from his cheeks.

"Looks like a yes to me," Gary said. "Just don't complain when you lose!"

* * *

There were a few lots in back of the center where trainers could have battles. When Ash and Gary went out to use one, they were all occupied. The two of them had to wait twenty minutes for a lot to open up.

In the lot there were two dug-in structures, a cross between a bunker and a dugout from a baseball field. They were meant to be a safe place for trainers stay during the battle, so nobody got accidently burned or electrocuted.

"Go Eevee!" Gary shouted from his end of the field. White light blazed and a brown furred pokémon with a bushy tail and long pointed ears appeared, an eevee.

_A battle against your rival! _She said, bouncing from side to side. _This will be fun! _

"Go Pikachu!" Ash shouted and Pikachu ran out onto the field.

_Let's do this! _Pikachu said, electricity crackling around him.

"Ready?" Ash asked.

"Always," Gary replied.

"Pikachu Speed Burst and Thundershock!"

"Eevee, Fill the Field!"

Both pokémon blurred into action. Pikachu upped his speed, dashing around the lot, and prepared to unleash a Thundershock against Eevee. But, which Eevee?

For, at Gary's command, Eevee had also upped her speed, but was also producing copies of herself, that also began to dash about the lot. Ash figured Fill the Field had to be some sort of combination of Agility or maybe Quick Attack and Double Team.

Pikachu began to shock away, tendrils of electricity seeking the eevees. They dashed around, trying to dodge. Few of the targeted eevees succeeded, but there were so many that Pikachu couldn't get them all. Ash noticed that each illusion moved differently. It looks like Gary had learned something from Ash's tactic from fifth grade.

"Quick Attacks!" Gary ordered. Eevees blasted at Pikachu who suddenly found himself dodging. He would use Quick Attack to dodge an incoming eevee, who may or may not have been real, only to find himself in the path of yet another incoming eevee.

"Don't dodge, just Thundershock!" Ash ordered.

_On it! _Pikachu replied. Electricity crackled and Pikachu began to blast the incoming eevees. None of the illusions came close.

Ash frowned. Something didn't seem right about the situation. Either the real Eevee should have made her move or Gary should have changed tactics. Ash scanned the battlefield, looking for anything out of place- There! There was a hole dug in a corner of the lot.

"Dodge Pikachu!" Ash shouted. "They're all fake! Eevee's using Dig!"

_Crap, _Pikachu shouted, jumping forward. He had barely moved when the earth below where he had been standing erupted, Eevee blasting forth. She narrowly missed Pikachu.

"Thundershock!" Ash shouted. Pikachu lashed out with electricity, briefly engulfing Eevee in a crackling yellow current. She cried out in pain and launched herself away Pikachu's attack.

"Fill the Field again!" Gary shouted. Once more a crowd of Eevees began to zip around the lot.

"Agility and Thundershock!" Ash ordered. "Don't stay still!" He didn't want Pikachu to get hit with a Dig attack.

Pikachu dashed around the lot, zapping at illusions, who wove, dashed and dodged, trying to conceal the real Eevee. For her part, Eevee tried to attack Pikachu several times, from both below and above ground, but was either fended off or avoided. The battle continued in that manner for another ten minutes. By the end of it Pikachu and Eevee stared at each other from opposite ends of the lot, panting, and lathered in sweat.

"I think we should call it a draw for now," Ash called over to Gary. "They're both getting tired."

"Fair enough," Gary agreed. He recalled Eevee and left his dug-out. Ash left his dug-out as well and collected Pikachu.

"A draw again," Gary sighed. "I really thought I had you in the beginning. What gave me away?"

"I don't know," Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Something just seemed off. Uh, maybe it's because you looked like you were just copying what I did, and I know you're, uh, better than that."

"Of course," Gary smirked, running his hand through his hair. "I'm Gary Oak after all!"

"I don't know what that's supposed to mean."

"Oh, you will one day. In the meantime, it looks like you and I had similar ideas for our starters."

"Well, Pikachu already had some good special attacks, but I was worried about his defensive options," Ash explained. "So-"

_He's had me focusing on doing that awful Speed Burst thing, _Pikachu added, not caring that Gary couldn't understand him. _Making me run day in and day out. Woe is me! _

"I've had him focus on getting faster and dodging," Ash rolled his eyes, ignoring his pokémon. Gary nodded.

"I've done something similar with Eevee," Gary told his rival. "I figured I could have her chip away at her opponents while running circles around them. But it looks like that strategy doesn't work as well against opponents who are nearly as fast."

"Fill the Field is using Quick Attack to move around and using Double Team a bunch, right?" Ash asked.

"Correctamundo," Gary answered. "I'm guessing Speed Burst is similarly Quick Attack and Agility?"

"Yes."

"I actually talked Gramps about this," Gary said. "He says that using Quick Attack as an evasive move is a common fad amongst new trainers. Once you train your pokémon enough, they should be fast enough that using Quick Attack to dodge has diminishing returns."

"Using Quick Attack to dodge has what?"

"Diminishing returns," Gary answered. "The faster your pokémon's base speed, the less useful Quick Attack is. At the highest levels it's actually a hinderance."

"Well, there's plenty of time before we get there," Ash replied. "I can have Pikachu learn Double Team instead. What are you going to do with Eevee?"

"Depends on what she wants to evolve into," Gary replied with a shrug. "Hopefully she doesn't want to be a jolteon. I don't want to end up copying your pikachu. In the meantime, I've also caught a nidoran, a doduo, a geodude, and a vulpix. I hope Eevee ends up choosing something that fills a hole I've got on my team, but only time will tell."

"We should do a full team battle next time. Are you going to be staying in the city?" Ash asked.

"Nah," Gary replied. "I simply stopped by to see how you were doing. Errr….." Gary's cheeks took on a red tint and he looked away from Ash. "You, uh, haven't seen Leaf recently, have you?"

"No," Ash replied.

"She must be ahead of me then," Gary said, seemingly to himself. "I'll have to work hard at getting through Mount Moon to catch up to her." He nodded and turned back to Ash. "Well, I'll smell ya later!"

"See you!" Ash said, waving as Gary walked away.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

PSA: **Email notifications for PMs are still disabled **

Short chapter this time.

Don't forget to review.


	12. Chapter 12

An alarm blared in the dark room. A hand reached out from underneath a pile of blankets, groping blindly for the source of the noise. Brock groaned as he sat up and turned off the alarm, glancing at the time as he did so. 4:50am blinked back at him in red letters.

Brock staggered up to his feet, flipped on a light switch and then looked down at himself. Just as he thought, he hadn't had time to change before he went to bed. He was still wearing his usual dull orange shirt, brown vest, and brown pants.

The gym leader looked at his desk, covered in stacks of paper and remembered why he hadn't had time to change last night. Brock had been hoping to make a dent in the gym's paperwork and had stayed up far later than he had meant to in the attempt. There had been so much to go over, new defense plans that he had to coordinate with the city government, the deployments of gym trainers to assist the ranger squads coming the forest, some old paperwork dealing with the new trainers who had just received their first pokémon from his gym, budgets to go over, and so much more.

Brock sighed, looking at the pile of work yet to do. It looked like he would have another evening full of paperwork. But he had other things to take care of this morning before he could even think of attending to gym matters.

The teenager with dark tan skin quietly made his way into the kitchen, getting out pans and ingredients. By five forty-five he had several different breakfast dishes cooking or cooked. At six in the morning Forrest stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed some food. By six thirty in the morning Salvadore, Yolanda, and Tommy had joined Forrest in grabbing breakfast.

"Did everyone get their homework done?" Brock asked as he rushed around the kitchen, finishing up breakfast dishes, and getting started on preparing lunches.

"I had some trouble with my math homework," Salvadore admitted as he worked on a pile of scrambled eggs. "It's done, but could you look it over to make sure I didn't mess up?"

"Absolutely!" Brock answered, smiling. "Just put it on the counter there and I'll take a look."

Salvadore had made a few mistakes on his algebra homework, but he seemed to have gotten the concepts down. Brock pointed out the miscalculations and Salvadore rushed off to correct his work.

At ten past seven Salvadore returned with his corrected work. Brock handed out the lunches to Forrest, Yolanda, Tommy, and Salvadore, and bid them goodbye as they left for school. Brock took five minutes to wolf down some food. He sighed and then began the next round of breakfast and lunches.

At eight in the morning Suzie, Cindy, Billy, Timmy, and Tilly made their way to the kitchen and began to eat their breakfast. Brock helped Suzie and Billy with their homework while he also prepared their lunches. By eight-thirty everyone was fed, helped with homework, and provided with a packed lunch for school. Brock bid them goodbye as they left for school themselves.

At eight fifty in the morning, about four hours after he had been woken up by his alarm, Brock finished cleaning up the residue from making multiple breakfast courses and preparing nine packed lunches.

Brock leaned back against the counter and let out a groan. His head was throbbing, his limbs felt like they were full of lead, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He didn't want to stay up. He wanted nothing more than to sink into his own bed, close his eyes, and drift off back to sleep. But he still had a full day ahead of him, with his work at the gym, and then he would have to hurry home to cook dinner, plus he had to care for his siblings.

And he was running late for work.

The gym leader took a quick shower, changed clothes, and then rushed over to the gym, arriving at nine thirty in the morning, fifteen minutes late, with a bag full of unfinished paperwork.

* * *

It had been two days since Ash and Gary had battled. Ash and his team trained in the mornings, ate lunch, trained some more, and then lounged around the pokémon center, enjoying the chance to rest in civilization. Someone put on a movie in one of the lobbies and Ash got to watch it! Even though it wasn't a kaiju movie (it was a cheesy sci-fi movie instead) he and Pikachu had fun watching it. And Ash really enjoyed being able to sleep in a bed! It was fun!

But he knew that it couldn't last. Nor did Ash want it to. There was still too much of the world to meet and see. His time in the pokémon center was just a fun diversion. One that he would almost certainly enjoy again in another location.

But before he left Ash still had to challenge the Pewter City gym. He had run into Misty a few more times. Ash had managed to ask her a few more questions about gyms and how they worked each time before they started bickering again.

Since he had no badges Ash would be facing the easiest of their tests. Maybe a simple battle, or an obstacle course, or very rarely, a written exam. He didn't need to necessarily finish or win, Misty said that he simply needed to show enough skill to qualify.

But it irked Ash that he couldn't think of a good way to win if it did come down to a battle. Type advantage would be working against him. The tyranitar had been a rock type, true, but it had been a rock-dark type rather than a rock-ground type, and it had still taken the efforts of all of his and Misty's pokémon to defeat. A rock-ground type would be nearly immune to Ash's entire team.

He couldn't teach Pikachu Double-Team, he would either need get his hand on a training machine or a training manual to assist. Ash had used his pokédex to look up what moves Pidgeotto could potentially learn, but none would have been useful against the gym's pokémon. Metapod's String Shot could be handy, but Ash couldn't figure out how.

Getting a badge was going to be tough.

* * *

It had been a slow day at the Pewter City gym. The gym had few challengers that day and Brock used the opportunity to finish more paperwork during the time that was allotted to deal with such matters. However, even though it was slow, there were still other duties that needed to be attended to, such as caring for the gym pokémon. And most of the gym trainers were off in the forest, supporting the ranger squadrons that had been sent there. Those that remained pulled double duty taking care of their pokémon and the gym pokémon. They polished their stone hides, checked for cracks, gently probed for weakness, and fed them pokéchow mixed with gravel.

Brock scrubbed his onix with a barely damp cloth; a bit of water by itself wouldn't cause a rock-type any physical harm, but it could cause psychological distress. He finished cleaning the stone snake, patted its horn, and walked away, rag over his shoulder, doing his best to stifle another yawn.

"Ya know boss," one of the gym trainers said, a rugged, heavyset, thirtyish man, "Ya could have us help with the onix. You've got enough on your plate as it is."

"Don't call me that," Brock replied, scowling, "and it's my responsibility to take care of my personal pokémon."

"You're the boss-"

"I'm just the placeholder," Brock shot back. "Honestly, Edwin, you should be in charge."

"I've just got a golem," Edwin replied. "You've got more pokémon you've personally trained and raised-"

"I've got one more than you," Brock replied, fists clenching.

"And one of those is an onix!" Edwin threw up his hands in the air. "Don't ya know how hard it is to tame one of those things?"

It wasn't hard as Brock knew. Once you learned to read the onix's expression you could stay ahead of its' moods, its' needs, until it was willing to trust you completely. Brock also knew that you had to know when to alternate between a sort of total stillness that onixes found comforting and when you had to account for the species' surprising speed.

Brock wondered why Edwin never tried to get an onix. The gym leader was certain that the older man could have handled it. Just like he was certain that the older man would have made a better gym leader than himself. Brock didn't understand why Edwin and the other gym trainers were letting him go through with this farce.

Brock wasn't the youngest person attached to the gym; there were plenty of junior gym trainers. But he was the youngest gym leader in Kanto. He was younger than most of the gym leaders in the allied regions, outside of prodigies like the psychic twins in Hoenn.

Brock knew he was the weakest gym leader in the Kanto League. The 'Sensational Sisters' had a reputation for frivolity and being more interesting in using their pokémon for performances than battles, but Brock knew that, even without type advantage, they were stronger than him. Janine, who would be taking over the Fuchsia City Gym for her father whenever Koga got moved up in to the Elite Four, could defeat him even with type advantage on his side.

Brock didn't understand why this didn't seem to bother the other trainers in his gym. Why had no one in the city government protested? Why had everyone humored Flint's decision, sent via letter because the deadbeat couldn't even be bothered to show up in person after his wife died, to leave the gym in Brock's hands? Brock didn't understand why no one in the gym attempted to challenge him for leadership. Why was there was no pushback against any of his decisions?

Didn't they know that he had no idea what he was doing? Surely the people of the city were upset with this situation, about their farcical excuse for a gym leader, but why weren't they doing anything about it?

And what was worse, Brock reflected, was that he didn't even want to be the gym leader! Brock didn't mind being a trainer, but as Onix grew he had discovered that his true passion lay in raising young pokémon. Battling could be fun, but it was nothing compared to the delighted cries of a young pokémon, or the joy of figuring out just what mixture of ingredients that the newborn would eat and still keep its coat healthy. Brock would rather be a pokémon breeder rather than a gym leader.

Not that it was possible, tied as he was to Pewter City. Even if Brock could have found someone that he trusted to take over the gym, and unlike the gym trainers, was willing to do so, there was no way for Brock to leave to go learn how to be a pokémon breeder as long as he had to care for his nine younger siblings.

Brock knew that he was a subpar caretaker for his siblings, but there was no one else around to do the job. No close relatives that he could trust to take care of them. So, Brock muddled along, doing the best he could, which he knew wasn't good enough.

It had not been easy since their mother had died. Flint had been away, trying to hone his skills, when Lola had gotten sick. It had happened so fast; she had been healthy one week and then dead the next. Flint hadn't returned after that. He had sent a letter containing his decision to leave the gym in Brock's hands, but Brock and his siblings never saw him again.

"Taming an onix isn't as hard as you think," Brock replied to Edwin, shaking himself out of his thoughts and walking towards the office reserved for the gym leader. "You could do it if you tried."

"And if I got help from ya every step of the way," Edwin said, following him to the office. Brock took a seat behind the desk, pulled out a pen, and began to fill out some paperwork. "Boss, let me take care of that for ya. I know that bastard Flint dumped a lot on your shoulders, but ya don't need to work day round. Take some time off."

"I can't," Brock sighed. "I've still got to talk to that gym trainer from Cerulean about what happened out in the forest"-About the fact that Team Rocket felt safe enough to operate around Pewter City because of Brock's weakness-" and that other trainer who was with her, if he's still in town. The ranger squads and the gym trainers we sent with them had found more physical evidence to corroborate the report those two gave, so it looks like that boy did help fight off Team Rocket. Brave kid."

"Oh?" Edwin smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Reminds me of another-". Brock shot a glare at the man, shutting him up.

"Anyway," Brock continued. "I think he's earned a badge for his efforts."

* * *

"It's no use," Ash groaned at the pokémon center cafeteria. Misty and his team were sitting with him, snacking and drinking. "I'll never get a badge."

"Why not?" Misty asked while sipping a soda through a straw.

"I can't think of a way to beat Brock," Ash confessed.

"Hmmm," Misty sipped some more at her drink. "Have you tried asking around? Find out what tactics he uses?"

"He probably crushes things with giant rock-type pokémon," Ash buried his face in his hands.

"What specific tactics he uses," Misty replied, rolling her eyes. "You should ask people around town."

"Huh?" Ash looked up. "I guess some trainers might live around here, but-"

"Not the trainers Aaron," Misty corrected. "Everybody. Didn't you live somewhere that had a gym?"

Ash had lived in plenty of towns and cities with gyms. He just had never been in a gym or talked to any of the locals about their gym. After he failed to respond Misty sighed.

"Kyogre save me from bumpkins," Misty muttered rubbing her forehead. "Look, in a city with a gym, the locals like to spend a lot of time at the gym, even if they don't have pokémon. There's usually some classes or maybe a performance, or maybe too many performances," she growled the last part, "and they can always watch the gym battles for free. Just go out and talk to people."

"Okay!" Ash said. He liked meeting new people and talking with them. And it would help him get this badge! He would need all the help he could get.

* * *

Ash left the pokémon center, trying to figure out which townspeople he should ask about Brock. He had tried asking some random passersby about the Pewter City Gym leader, but most of them told the boy that they didn't have time to talk, and the rest didn't have much information beyond 'he uses rock pokémon'.

The poké-raised child ended up wandering to the edge of the city, where he came upon a tan man with a bushy beard, in a red hat, next to a stand that held rocks with price tags on them. It must have been some special Pewter City rocks, Ash figured. Or maybe it was just because people from Pewter City loved rocks. It certainly seemed to be the case for their gym.

"What do you know about Brock?" Ash asked.

"Not even going to try and break the ice, eh?" The man sighed. "Or you know, engage in some basic social pleasantries?"

"Basic social whats?"

_Even I know what that means and I'm not even human, _Pikachu groaned, forepaw on his forehead.

"If you want information, then you have to buy a souvenir," the tan man told Ash.

"Aren't those just rocks?" Ash asked.

"They're souvenirs," the man insisted. "Authentic pieces of the land that you can use to remember Pewter City even when you've moved on."

"I don't have any money," Ash replied. "Can I trade you a different rock for one of those rocks?"

_I can't tell if you're being stupid or clever right now._

"I can't tell if you're being stupid or smart with me right now," the man sighed, not know he was echoing Pikachu's sentiment. "You know what, sure, I'll give you some information about Brock. He's got a piece of shit for a dad, specializes in rock-type pokémon, and you probably have no chance against him."

"I know I have no chance against him," Ash replied. "That's why I'm asking around. I need something to at least let me impress him enough to get a badge."

"Fine kid," the man sighed again, standing up. "Let's go learn about Brock."

* * *

The man took Ash to a café with a sign featuring a picture of a geodude giving a thumbs up amongst a pile of rocks, over the title of the café, the Hard Rock Café. Several people were sitting outside, sipping at their drinks. A few of them called out hellos when they noticed the tan man approach.

"Hello you to too," the tan man said. He clapped a hand on Ash's back. "This young man is looking for information on Brock. Do any of you have anything to tell him?"

The people outside the café began to talk.

"What was that?"

"Someone's asking about Brock."

"What was that about Brock?"

"Brock? The gym leader? He's hot."

"He's a bit young, but he'll grow into the role."

"He's a good trainer."

"I'm a huge fan!"

"His onix is so cool!"

"Do you know if he's single? Both me and my brother would like to know, at least one of us might get to date him!"

There were random facts called out. The man in the red hat stood there as the people spoke, his posture changing in a way that made Ash think the man was proud of something. Meanwhile Ash was getting annoyed because none of the random facts would help him in a battle against the gym leader.

"What tactics does he use?" Ash managed to ask the patrons, who had become absorbed in loud conversations about Brock.

"I think he just crushes his opponents," one patron said.

"Nothing special," another said. "He just prefers to train his pokémon to be powerful rather than have special tactics for them to use."

"He does place an emphasis on defense," came the first useful piece of information Ash had managed to get all morning, "and if he's having trouble with an opponent he likes to use Bide."

Ash and the tan man in the red hat spent another ten minutes at the café. In that time Ash heard a lot more about Brock, but failed to get any more useful information from the patrons. He walked away with a sigh. The man in the red hat followed.

"Well that was useless," Ash complained.

"I don't know," the man in the red hat said. "It was certainly a chance to learn all about Brock."

"I need to know how to beat him," Ash said. "I didn't need to hear from a bunch of his fans how it was impossible for me to do so."

"Maybe you shouldn't have asked one of the biggest Brock fans for information on him then," the man replied.

"Wait, who's the biggest Brock fan?" Ash asked.

"That would be me," the man in the red hat said, before walking away from Ash.

Ash sighed again. The whole morning had been a bust. He was never going to get that badge. Might as well head back to the pokémon center and plan the next part of his journey. He'd just have to revisit Pewter City later…..

* * *

"This doesn't make any sense," a brown-haired woman said, looking at a screen.

"Isn't that just- no it's too low for a cloud formation," a black-haired man with glasses said, looking over her shoulder.

They were in a radar station in the mountains near Pewter City. It had been a slow day until one of the team members noticed something odd on the radar.

"It's not a pokémon, or a group of pokémon," the woman said, fiddling with settings and filters to try and get a better idea of what her tools were telling her. "And it's not an aircraft. It's moving too slow for that."

"It might be a hot air balloon," the man from pointed out.

"Maybe, but the altitude is all wrong," the woman said. "Thirty thousand feet is way too high for a hot air balloon. And its descending too quickly. If it was a balloon the crew would be in danger. "

"It might be an undocumented sort of pokémon," the man suggested.

"Well, if it is, then it's big enough that we should issue an advisory to Pewter City," the woman replied, "and we need to send someone to get a visual on the object."

"Let's give the new drones a shot," the man said, hurrying over to his station, and entering a few commands.

"Good idea. Sending the notice to Pewter City now."

They worked in silence for a few minutes before the man spoke again.

"Drones are getting visual….. now!"

"What is it?" The woman asked, looking over his shoulder. "With the way it's been descending, it's going to be in Pewter City soon. I'd like to give them an update as to what they should be expecting."

"This is uh- well, I was right earlier," the man said, moving away from the screen to let the woman get a look. "It is a hot air balloon."

On his screen was the drone's view of the object. It was, as he said, a hot air balloon, one modeled after the pokémon known as meowth.

"Why were they flying so high?" The woman asked.

"To avoid the region's radar envelope," the man suggested. "We're the only station that has the frequencies to pick up a hot air balloon around here, everything else is configured for weather, aircraft, and pokémon. With the speed they're going at they'll reach Pewter City before the city can be prepared for anything."

"Attacking in a hot air balloon? Who would do that?" the woman asked. "It doesn't make any sense. I'd sooner think that they lost control and got blown off course. Or maybe they're just trying to beat the record. They've certainly succeeded if that was their intention."

"Maybe- Wait, what?" The man's screen was filled with static. "We've lost connection to the drone."

"What happened to it?"

"I don't know, the readings are completely gone," the man said, switching screen and frantically looking through programs and menus. "What could have happened?"

"You might have been correct about their intentions after all…"

* * *

_Well, this sucks, _Ash sighed as he walked back towards the pokémon center, idly kicking at the sidewalk.

_You think you have it bad? _Pikachu said. _I'm the one who's going to have to wrestle with a giant stone snake. _

_ Why would you wrestle it? _

_ It's not like I've got a lot of other options, _Pikachu said, crossing his forepaws. _Electric attacks are useless and Quick-Attack will just bounce right off of that thing._

_ And you think you can wrestle how exactly? _Ash asked.

_If I could just find a weak point-_

_ Weak enough for your tiny paws to exploit? _

_ Exactly! _Pikachu exclaimed. _Maybe its ticklish? Or maybe it has a metal nervous system and I can shock that! _

_ They don't, I looked it up, _Ash replied. _The pokédex has no information on onixes that would let you beat one. _

_ This is so unfair! _Pikachu wailed. _Well, maybe they've got a sudowoodo for me to fight instead. _

_ They're more common in Johto, _Ash replied. _I looked it up on the pokédex a while ago. Kanto doesn't have any pure rock-type pokémon. It's almost entirely rock-ground types. _

_ That's blatant discrimination against electric types! _

_ Well, let's just hope that they have us doing an obstacle course or something, _Ash sighed as he rounded the corner to the pokémon center. He nearly bumped into a tan teenager in brown pants, a dull orange shirt, and a green vest. The older boy was on his pokégear.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye to the sky when I can," the teenager was saying. "Pass the warning onto the gym for me. They'll know what to do."

Ash wondered what he was talking about. Maybe he was a gym trainer? He wondered if a gym trainer would give him some tips on how to get a badge or would they consider that to be cheating? Probably best not to risk it.

"Wait, I have eyes on it. It's slowing down." The boy spoke again, his voice louder. Ash looked back and saw that the teenager had his eyes on the sky above the pokémon center. Ash turned his head to see what was so interesting.

Above the pokémon center he could make a shape drifting downwards, slower and slower. It was shaped like a meowth's head and there was a basket hanging from it. Ash frowned as he tried to remember what that was.

_Hot air balloon, right? _He whispered to Pikachu.

_Yes, but what's it doing? _Pikachu replied. The balloon had come to a stop over the pokémon center.

"It's hovering over the pokémon center now," the teenager was saying. "Contact the police, tell them to get ready. For what? I don't know, but I think-"

The boy was interrupted by a loud explosion and a flare of white light from above. A blast had gone off on the roof of the pokémon center. A klaxon started blaring.

"Lockdown initiated" a mechanical voice intoned. Sheets of metal began to slide out of hidden slots and covered the pokémon center. People in the streets began to scream and run as there were more explosions on the roof of the locked-down center.

_Well, this isn't good, _Pikachu said, jumping off of Ash's shoulder.

"Yep," Ash said, grabbing Pidgeotto's and Metapod's pokéballs from his belt. Before he could do anything else, the tan teenager stepped past him and hurled two pokéballs of his own.

"Onix! Geodude! Get ready!" White light blazed and a stupendous stone snake appeared with a roar. A smaller pokémon that looked like a rock with arms appeared next to it.

"Mind if I help?" Ash asked.

"What pokémon do you have?" the older teen inquired. "Other than that Pikachu?"

"Metapod and Pidgeotto."

"Get somewhere safe, but keep line of sight. I'll shout if I need you. What's your name?"

"It's Aaron," Ash answered. The tan teen started to nod and then looked sharply at the younger boy.

"Aaron Autumns?" The tan teen asked.

"Yes….." Ash wondered how the teenager knew his official last name.

"Small world," the boy said. "I'm Brock. We'll talk after this. Now get to cover."

Oh, great the gym leader wanted to talk to him. That could only mean…. Actually, Ash realized that he didn't know what that could mean. He hurried down the street and ducked into a storefront to comply with the gym leader's instructions.

Two voices rang out from the balloon, amplified by speakers hanging off the side of the basket.

"Prepare for trouble," a haughty sounding female voice rang out. Both Brock and Ash could see a woman with long, dark red hair, in a midriff baring white uniform with a large red R on her chest.

"And make it double," a male voice joined her. There was a man with shoulder length purple hair, in a similar uniform, but with a black undershirt, standing beside her.

Ash clenched his hands. He didn't like where this was going.

At the same time, Brock was trying to figure out what was going on. He was pretty sure that the situation in front of him was a diversion. Their bombs hadn't actually damaged the pokémon center, merely trigged the lockdown defensive measures. He grabbed his pokégear.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

Brock recognized that part of the motto from his history lessons. His selected the gym from his contact list and made the call.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Look, we've got a situation at the pokémon center," Brock hissed to the gym receptionist. "I think it's some sort of diversionary attack by Team Rocket. Sound the alarm and get the gym trainers deployed to defensive positions like in the drills we've been doing. Help the police get everybody somewhere and keep an eye out for whatever their real goal is."

"Jessie!" The female voice shouted.

"James!" The male voice shouted.

"I'm on scene at the center. I'll update everyone when I can." Brock said, hanging up.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" A meowth stuck its head up out of the basket.

Brock was growing sick of their clowning around. Even if it was an obvious diversion it was obnoxious.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" Brock ordered. His pokémon obeyed, ripping up chunks of asphalt and hurling them at the balloon. The projectiles ripped a hole in the fabric and the balloon began to deflate. Its occupants jumped out and gracefully landed on the metal covered roof of the pokémon center as balloon and basket fell behind them.

"Well, it looks like someone doesn't appreciate an entrance," the red-haired woman, who had given the name Jessie, shouted down.

"Well, they say artists are never appreciated in their own time," the purple haired man, who had given the name James, added.

"Maybe we should teach him a lesson about performances," the meowth commented.

_And there goes my ace in the hole, _Ash muttered, wincing. They had a pokémon who could speak like a human.

Ash had heard that it was possible from his caretakers. Of course, none of them understood why anyone would go through the effort of achieving that. Humans spoke human and pokémon could eventually make themselves understood. Let the humans focus on talking, they said, it was better to focus on learning moves.

However, while the decision to learn how to speak like a human might have been subpar overall, in this case there would be a payoff. The presence of that meowth meant that Ash couldn't try to hide his instructions by speaking properly.

Not bothering to reply to the trio, Brock simply looked at Geodue and pointed at the three on the rooftop. More chunks of asphalt, thrown with deadly force, followed. But each chunk missed its mark as the enemy trio ducked and dodged around the projectiles, running and jumping to the roof of a nearby building as they did so.

"Follow them," Brock commanded, jumping onto Onix's back. The stone snake nodded and began to follow the Rocket trio from the streets. He glanced at the storefront where Ash was hiding, held up three fingers, let them go down one by one, and then pointed to the end of onix. And then Brock and his pokémon were out of sight.

_What was that about? _Ash asked. _Three to one? Onix's tail? I don't get what he was trying to say._

_I think he told us to wait and then follow him, _Pikachu answered. _You know, a countdown with his fingers and then pointing at his pokémon's behind. _

_ I guess that makes sense, _Ash said. _I wonder if that's a common hand signal or something. _

_ You'll have to ask him after this is all over, _Pikachu said. _Now hurry up. I want a chance to shock some Rockets._

* * *

Elsewhere in the city, people were streaming out of one of the small office building, getting to designated emergency evacuation locations that were meant to be used in the case of a natural disaster, rampaging pokémon, or an impending attack on the city. No one wanted to be trapped in the top floors if a herd of donphan rolled through town, knocking down buildings, or if an aggron went on a rampage. It was best to get to an underground shelter or at least an area where the buildings weren't tall enough to fall on you.

One person wasn't evacuating though, a woman with gold hair and purple eyes, wearing a black sweater and pants. Having hidden herself in a bathroom earlier (with a creative use of an 'Out of Order' sign) she had waited until it was quiet outside. Then the golden-haired woman slipped on a mask and slipped out of the bathroom door.

She had memorized the location of her objective earlier, along with the floorplan, and had no trouble getting to where she needed to go. She went up two floors, found the safe in question in the corner of the office and took out her tools.

Ten minutes later the safe was open and the woman had a sheaf of documents in her hands. She closed the safe and locked it behind her.

"On behalf of Team Rocket I'd like to thank the Pewter City branch of Silph Co. for this generous donation," she purred to herself. She then took out a handheld radio.

"Butch, this is Cassidy," she said into the radio. "I've got the documents."

"Good to hear," a male voice sounded over the radio, presumably Butch. "The distraction still has the attention of the gym leader, but I haven't heard from our operative in the pokémon center yet."

"We can't check on him until after the lockdown is lifted," Cassidy responded. "He'll have to contact us soon or we'll have to leave him behind."

"I know," Butch sighed. "Meet me at the rendezvous point as soon as you can. I'm not sure how long the distraction will last"

"You think Jessie's team will kill the gym leader or the gym leader will kill them?" Cassidy asked.

"You never can tell with that bunch."

* * *

Alarms blared in the pokémon center while guests rushed towards the shelter in the basement and the staff took their posts. Red lights flashed and there were constant messages warning people not to panic and form an orderly line.

"Just great," Misty hissed to herself. Like her week hadn't been bad enough already, the pokémon center she was staying in just had to get attacked. She must have pissed off someone upstairs.

Something about the situation stunk. Everyone had heard the explosions, but Misty wasn't sure if anyone else noticed that there were no follow up sounds. No sounds of cracking, or breaking glass, or debris falling outside. Whatever had caused the explosions didn't seem to have damaged the center.

Now call her suspicious, but Misty thought that strange was going on. Pokéballs in hand, the gym trainer from Cerulean city made her way down the halls, hoping that she was making a better call than she had in the forest.

* * *

Elsewhere in the pokémon center, a man in very nondescript clothing was kneeling in front of a desktop computer, having just inserted a drive into the USB slot. He stood up, looked at the screen to make sure that the tool was working, and then pulled up a chair and got to work.

"Hurry it up," the man whispered. He knew that he didn't have much time. Even during the lockdown someone might come into the server room at any moment. The people from Team Rocket's R&D department had assured that the tool would get its job done in five minutes and that it would also leave no trace in the system. All he had to do was plug it in to the correct computer, wait until a message popped up saying that it was done, and then remove the drive and get out of there.

The Team Rocket operative glanced around the room, his entire body tense. He felt like there was someone watching him, but told himself it was just nerves. His hands clenched at pokéballs on his belts while he watched the door to the room.

A ceiling tile gently moved, unnoticed by the man below. A red and black pokémon with bladed extremities, a bisharp, dropped down without a sound. Another man followed.

The operative from Team Rocket thought that he heard a sound behind him. He started to turn-

There was a sharp pain in his back and a hand over his mouth. The Team Rocket operative grabbed at the hand, suddenly desperate to take a breath, and then there was another sharp pain.

And another.

And another.

And another.

There was only pain and coldness and soon there was only coldness….

The man in black got to work on the computer while his bisharp lodged the body in the ceiling. He took another drive out of his pocket, plugged it into a USB slot, and waited a minute, and then removed the drive from Team Rocket. A message popped up on the screen and the man smiled.

"Thank you, Team Rocket, for being such good patsies," the man said. "Bisharp, we're moving out."

The two left the way they came in, leaving only bloodstains behind.

* * *

AN: I would like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

It took me forever to get this chapter into a shape where I felt like I could release it. So many revisions were done. Trying to balance character, plot, and pacing can be a real headache.

Speaking of pacing, Symbiotic has managed to encounter a different pacing issue than Symbiosis. Yay for new mistakes!

Symbiosis had bloat because I thought ten thousand words was a good chapter length (Turns out books only have 260-320 words per page, not nearly a thousand... whoops) This is a metric that led to many problems both within the story and when it came to writing the story.

Symbiotic has chapters that seem jarring upon release because I'm writing the story first and then cutting into chapter sized pieces months after writing a particular section(this particular chapter was written in late October, early November). I'm pretty confident that readers who come in a few chapters later, or people reading after more chapters have been released, won't find the pacing to be jarring, but I could be wrong.

(Fun fact regarding the 260-320 words per page measurement. From the first scene of Symbiotic, to the end of the scene where Pikachu hits the tyranitar with lighting is about 60,000 words, which comes out to around 200 pages, which is about as long as a full length novel. Funny how the online format can mess with our sense of length).

That's enough of me yapping for now.

Don't forget to review!


	13. Chapter 13

AN: **PSA **Email notifications for Private Messages are still down.:AN

* * *

When Ash followed after the battle between the gym leader and the three members of Team Rocket he found that a strange substance covering the streets. It was lumpy and yellow-white, congealing all over the street. Ash pokéd the least solid looking bit of the substance with a piece of debris. When he tried to pull it back out, he found that the debris was stuck.

_It's like glue or something, _Ash said, letting go of the piece of debris. _Where did it come from? _

_ Three guesses and the first two don't count, _Pikachu said, pointing down the street.

Down the street Onix writhed and twisted tearing through globules of glue, roaring as it did so. Brock and Geodude were on its back and Geodude's arms were covered in spots of glue. They were also embedded with needles, marks earned from Geodude's defense of his trainer.

Team Rocket was on a nearby rooftop. They had released an arbok, a seviper, a weezing, and a yamask. The arbok was firing off Poison Sting attack after Poison Sting attack, while the weezing was hurling toxic brown Sludge attacks at the gym leader and his pokémon.

Ash took a closer look at Brock and his pokémon. The human wasn't showing any signs of having been poisoned by a pokémon; no purple spots on skin, no unusual sweating, no obvious shortness of breath, or obvious nausea. He studied the two rock types with the gym leader, but he didn't see any of the signs of poison there either.

Of course, Ash reflected, he didn't even know if the rock types could sweat, or if they had the same symptoms when poisoned. He would have to try to look that up in the pokédex later. For now, he would just have the work off the assumption that the two pokémon were fine.

The battle picked up again, with Geodude hurling more chunks of the street at the members of Team Rocket and their pokémon. In response the weezing pumped out smoke to shield their team from view. Chunks of asphalt disturbed the smoke, but missed everyone hiding behind it.

_Why isn't the onix attacking? _Ash asked. Brock could at least scatter his opponents by having Onix attack them directly.

_He's worried about collateral damage idiot! _Pikachu answered. _That overgrown rock would destroy the buildings those Rockets are standing on. He's trying to avoid that. _

_ Oh, _Ash said. That made sense. It certainly explained why Brock was letting Geodude handle most of the fighting. But if he refused to attack with his onix, then Ash didn't see a way that the young gym leader could win. What was his plan?

Out of the corner of his eye Ash saw a fire escape and began thinking of a plan of his own.

* * *

Brock, grit his teeth and ducked behind Onix as yet another Poison Sting flew by. Stingers rattled and pinged off of Onix's stone hide. He idly wished that he had brought his body armor and some personal weapons. But as long as he was wishing for things, he could also wish that he had brought some gym pokémon with him, that Team Rocket had not decided to attack, or even that he had gotten a full night's sleep.

He discreetly glanced back, looking for Aaron and finding the boy. Brock didn't want to let the younger trainer out of his sight until he could hand him off to a squad of gym trainers or police officers. Brock suspected that one of the goals of this attack might have been retaliation against Misty and Aaron who had helped her.

Brock also knew that there were hundreds of other possibilities for the motive behind the attack, most of which he could do nothing about.

He had been trying to herd his opponents and their pokémon into one of the defensive positions the trainers from his gym should be taking up. But no matter how many chunks of asphalt Geodude hurled at them (Brock knew he would be getting an earful from City Hall later about the damage to the streets), no matter how many times Onix snapped at them when they got too close to the rooftop edges, no matter how many times Geodude and Onix swatted their attacks back at them, the trio from Team Rocket refused to play along.

Brock wondered if he was just blatantly telegraphing his intentions? Or were the Rocket operatives just that good? Or maybe they just avoided areas that would make good spots for an ambush or for defenders to gather?

The purple haired man dove out of the smoke, holding a grenade. He hurled it at Brock and Onix, before jumping back into the Smokescreen.

"Dodge!" Brock ordered, recognizing the weapon. Onix dodged back and the grenade exploded in a burst of glue. At least their strategy was obvious, Brock reflected. They would slow his pokémon down with their glue grenades and then attack him personally with poison attacks. Eventually they would get a lucky hit in and he would die.

* * *

Misty knew that entering through a doorway was one of the more dangerous things one could do during urban combat, but at the same time she didn't want to be the one blowing holes in the pokémon center. It would be embarrassing, if after Team Rocket's attack, the only one who had done any actual damage to the center was her. After all she had no reason to suspect that there was anyone in the server room, or even in the pokémon center who shouldn't be there.

And yet some instinct drove Misty to investigate. Crouching down she grabbed the handle and threw the door open. Staryu and Starmie jumped over, ready to blast any potential enemies. When they failed to do so Misty peeked around the corner looking into the server room.

There was nothing there. Misty let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't wanted to fight around expensive computers.

"Well, we've got some more rooms to search," Misty said, glancing around the room. "Let's move- Wait…."

What was that on the floor? Misty crept closer, keeping her head on a swivel in case someone was actually in the room with her. When she got close enough to identify the substance on the floor, she let out a small hiss of surprise.

"I hate being right," Misty said to herself, looking at the bloodstains on the floor.

* * *

"Groudon's claws!" Brock swore as a lucky glue detonation managed to catch Onix and pin him to some buildings. Three more grenades followed. Brock jumped off of his pokémon's back before he could be engulfed by the sticky substance; Brock had no idea if the glue would suffocate him or if it was a special sort, treated to be permeable to air. Geodude followed close behind.

"Rock Throw, keep them dodging!" Brock ordered, getting out Onix's pokéball. He internally debated whether or not to recall the stone snake. He didn't know if the glue would come with if he recalled Onix; some things could be escaped by recalling the affected pokémon and somethings couldn't. Brock also didn't know if the glue would have any adverse effects on Onix's pokéball. If the glue could jam up the pokéball it would be a nice way to take a pokémon out of the fight.

Onix could always simply tear his way out, but that would destroy the buildings he had been stuck to and possibly cause casualties if the buildings had occupants who hadn't or couldn't evacuate. Brock grit his teeth as he tried to decide his next course of action.

Geodude was throwing more chunks of street and sidewalk at Team Rocket and their pokémon, not giving them time to set up a shot on his trainer.

"Well, this has been fun," Jessie said.

"But I think it's time we move on to other things," James added. The two of them pulled out another batch of grenades, dodging some more projectiles from Geodude. "Be sure to stick around!"

"Quick Attack!" A boy's voice cried out. A brown blur swept across the group, knocking the grenades out of the hands of the human members of Team Rocket.

"Well-"Jessie began, looking at James and jumping away from the grenades.

"-blast," James finished, also looking at Jessie and jumping away from the grenades. Their pokémon followed suit, but the yamask and the seviper weren't fast enough. The expanding mass of glue caught them both, leaving only their heads sticking out.

_Ya know, _the seviper said, _I can't help feel like we deserved this for aiding and abetting that 'stick around' pun. _

_ Truly it is our __**pun**__ishment, _the yamask added.

_Now don't you start! _

"Another person who appreciates the value of a good entrance," James said, rolling to his feet.

"Not that we'll go easy on them simply because they have good taste," Jessie added, looking over to where the attack had come from. She suddenly threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding a String Shot attack.

"Ooooooh, and they're using sticky tactics as well," James said happily. "Koffing, counter with Sludge!"

A spew of toxic brow sludge intercepted the next String Shot attack, silk and poison splattering over the rooftop. Ash stood on the roof of the building next to Team Rocket, aiming Metapod at them.

"Well," the meowth said, claws glinting as they were unsheathed, "time to cut the act." His ear twitched and the meowth threw himself forward, barely avoiding the brown blur of the returning Pidgeotto, and from there, pushed himself into the air, turning his motion into a flip to avoid the next String Shot attack.

"Gust!" Ash shouted. A miniature tornado formed and sped towards the Team Rocket team, carving a shallow furrow in the rooftop. "String Shot!" Metapod let loose with another strand of sticky silk, right into the tornado. Globs of sticky silk began to shoot out from the tornado, forcing the members of Team Rocket and their pokémon to continue dodging.

"Oh, combination attacks!" Jessie squeed. "Remember when we used to stay up late and come up with combination attacks? So much fun."

"Those were the days." James agreed. "So far, it's been a strong first act, following that speedy introduction! But we have to ask ourselves, is this all there is to this young man's strategy?"

"Or is this merely a setup for a grand revelation! A surprising twist!" Jessie shouted. "Arbok, keep an eye out! Tell Meowth what you see!"

Ash tried to hide his grimace. He had instructed Pikachu to sneak up behind them while he kept them busy, hoping that his starter could take them by surprise. With them getting wise to the plan, the odds of it succeeding were dropping rapidly.

Red light flared as the two humans recalled their pokémon stuck in the residue of the misfired grenades. Then they and their pokémon began to run at Ash, dodging around the Gust attack, and vaulting over the edge of the rooftop. Ash had turned around and began to sprint back towards the fire escape before they even landed.

"Pidgeotto, cover us with a Gust!" Ash shouted as he started to clamber down the fire escape while carrying Metapod. Wind whistled and rumbled as another whirlwind formed in front of the rooftop access to the fire escape.

Ash got back down to the street and started to sprint towards where Pikachu should have been. Pidgeotto swooped down to his shoulder.

_So that was a bust, _she said.

_I know, _Ash agreed. _It almost worked. Just a little bit more time for Pikachu to get into position…. _

_ Dodge! _Pidgeotto shouted and Ash jumped to the side. A stream of brow sludge passed through the space his body used to occupy. Team Rocket and their pokémon were behind them now.

Ash and his pokémon ducked around a corner into an alley and he caught site of Pikachu running along the edge of a rooftop. The pokéraised boy made eye contact with his starter and jerked his head back. Pikachu nodded and hid behind the edge of the roof. Ash hoped that Pikachu had understood his message.

Team Rocket rounded the corner behind him, with their weezing and arbok. Ash looked around, trying to figure out if the yamask and seviper were still in their pokéballs or if their trainers had discreetly released them to perform a flanking maneuver. He'd just have to hope that he and his team would at least see such an attack coming.

"Gust!" Ash ordered. He didn't Pidgeotto to use another Quick Attack when the enemy had poison types out. Once again, his foes dodged the miniature tornado. "String Shot!" Ash had Metapod fire off another sticky strand of silk, hoping to catch either a dodging human or pokémon, but they all managed to evade him.

_You should get moving again! _Pidgeotto suggested, hovering in front of Ash.

_Not yet, _Ash whispered back. "Pikachu, now!"

Writhing tendrils of electric power arced over the edge of a nearby rooftop, catching the entire group in flashing yellow power. As soon as it ended the humans of Team Rocket took cover by the edge of the building.

"And there's the shocking revelation," James said. "He had an ace up his sleeve the whole time!"

"I wonder…. Don't you recall the reports from that team in the Viridian Forest?" Jessie said, tapping her chin. "About the boy they encountered there?"

"Now that you mention it- Yamask, burn the roof would you- this boy does resemble the boy from the report," Jame said.

Blue flames erupted from the rooftop opposite Pikachu at James' command and streamed over, forcing Pikachu to abandon his position. The small yellow pokémon hopped down from the roof, bounced off a wall, jumped off a dumpster, and came to a stop on Ash's shoulder.

_Didn't see that yamask, _Pikachu admitted, cheeks sparking. Ash realized that James must have sent it out again after recalling it from the glue. _Nearly got me with that Will-o-Wisp attack, _Pikachu continued.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt that- "Ash began, but he was beaten to the punch.

"Smog!"

"Poison Sting!"

A mass of purple poison gas rushed down the alleyway, causing Ash to abandon his command and rush backwards. Out of the gas burst a brace of stingers, hitting Pidgeotto and Pikachu.

Pidgeotto and Pikachu swore at the same time when they realized what had happened. Purple blotches appeared on their skin and they began to sweat. Ash recognized the poison symptoms.

_I've got antidotes- _he began to say.

_Keep running idiot! _Pikachu shouted. _Antidotes after the battle! _

Ash ducked around the corner on the other end of the alley. Pidgeotto was lagging behind. Ash didn't want to leave her in danger.

_Pidgeotto, return! _Ash ordered, holding up her pokéball. She let out a squawk of protest, but didn't try to get out of her pokéball after she had been recalled.

_Pikachu, you-_

_ Not getting in the pokéball, _Pikachu interrupted, sweating and panting from the poison. _Hurry up and think of a way to deal with these punks! _

That was easier said than done, Ash thought to himself, starting to move again. Either Team Rocket would be bursting through the lingering Smog at the end of the alley or they'd-

"Arbok, Wrap!" Ash heard Jessie shout from the rooftop. The purple poison pokémon hurled itself at Ash like a spear. Pikachu tried to shock it, but the poison slowed him, and Arbok impacted Ash before Pikachu could counter-attack.

Metapod and Pikachu went tumbling down the street, while Ash was immobilized in the arbok's coils. Pikachu began to pick himself up when Meowth jumped off the roof and slammed Pikachu into the pavement. Pikachu gave an anguished cry and then fell unconscious.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted and then the coils tightened. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make breathing difficult.

"Well, it looks like this act has come to an end," Jessie said. She attached a hook to the edge of the roof and rappelled down to the street.

"It's been fun getting here, but it's time for the curtain to fall," James said, following behind her. "Now what will we do with you?"

"We heard all about your little stunt in the forest," Jessie continued. "We've been thinking of how we'd… deal with you."

"I have just the thing right here," James said, grinning and reaching into a pouch on his belt.

Metapod stared up from his place on the street, helpless, eyes wide with fear, as the purple haired man searched for something, no doubt a nefarious tool of torture. Once again, his trainer was in danger and he couldn't do anything. And this time, Pidgeotto wasn't able to help him help Ash.

Something burned inside Metapod and his eyes narrowed into a glare.

_Get. _The bug type began to shake.

_Away. _Meowth turned from his spot standing over Pikachu to look at Metapod, who had started to faintly glow.

_From My Trainer! _White light erupted from Metapod and there was a great cracking sound. Meowth threw himself at the glowing pokémon, claws extended. There was the sound of something hitting striking flesh and Meowth was hurled back.

Something shot away from where Metapod had been, leaving behind a green shell that had been split in half. The thing smashed into James, sending him flying back, before spinning around.

Wings flared to their full extent, and surrounded by a faint purple glow, Butterfree glared down at Arbok, who still had his trainer in its coils.

_I said, get away! _Butterfree shouted, unleashing a Confusion attack, dozens of weak telekinetic waves hitting the poison type from all sides. Disoriented by the attack, Arbok released his grip on Ash. Ash scrambled away from the cobra like pokémon.

"String Shot!" Ash shouted. "Tie it up and then follow me!" Sticky silk engulfed the confused Arbok and then Butterfree turned to follow Ash, who had scooped up Pikachu and was sprinting away.

"Ouch," James said, as Jessie helped him up. He looked over to where he had been standing before being assaulted by Butterfree. "Where'd that pamphlet go?"

"Was it the 'Welcome to Team Rocket' one or the 'So You're Thinking of Joining Team Rocket' one?" Jessie asked. "It doesn't matter. We'll have plenty of time to give him the spiel after we catch him again."

"I can't help but feel like we've forgotten something," James mused, before recalling his yamask.

"Does anyone else feel a rumbling?" Meowth asked. The two humans and the meowth turned to the alleyway from which they had come. There was a rumbling sound, growing louder very quickly.

"I don't think that will-," Jessie said.

"Bide well for us," James finished.

With a mighty roar, Onix erupted from the alleyway, spots of glue on its hide, Brock and Geodude clinging to his back. Team Rocket scattered before him. The stone snake reared back, ready to strike.

"Take out the weezing first," Brock said, glaring. He glanced over in the direction Aaron had took off, noting that the younger boy was escaping thankfully unharmed. He then turned back to Team Rocket.

If looks could kill, then Team Rocket would have already been atomized.

"Time to go!" Jessie said, recalling Arbok, and sprinting away from Brock.

"I concur!" James agree, recalling Weezing, and sprinting after her.

"Wait for me!" Meowth said.

Onix blasted forwards after the fleeing members of Team Rocket. James was forced to jump to the side, into a different alley to avoid the jaws of the serpent. He vaulted off a dumpster, grabbed a fire escape, and scrambled up the building.

"Hey, gym leader!" Jessie shouted from behind, holding another grenade. Before she could throw it though, a thrown brick blasted it out of her hand. She too was forced to dodge as Geodude began to pelt her with projectiles.

James narrowly avoided the jaws of Onix once more, by jumping off the fire escape, and onto the back of the snake. Brock was there, fist flying at the purple haired man's face. But James somehow managed to vault over the gym leader, and run/slide down the rest of the onix.

"I think it's time to blast off," Meowth said as he and Jessie dodged deadly projectiles.

"I agree," Jessie said. "James, if you would?"

"Certainly," James said, taking out several more grenades. They were larger than the earlier glue grenades. As Onix surged back into the street, James armed one, and gently tossed it towards the large rock-type. He and his team took off running once more.

Onix saw the grenade and reared back, clearly expecting more glue. But the grenade exploded in a great plume of fire, sent a window rattling shockwave throughout the street, and carving a large crater in the street.

Brock frowned. He wondered just how many bombs did the trio from Team Rocket have on them. "After them," he ordered Onix, who began barreling forward once more.

The chase continued on for several blocks, Team Rocket staying just out of reach of Onix's jaws. The pursed and pursuers came across a street level entrance to an underground shelter.

The human members of Team Rocket suddenly stopped, turning around to face the gym leader mounted on his giant serpent of stone. They pulled out another brace of grenades. Brock stopped, wondering what they were planning. He noticed that the underground shelter would be underneath the street between him and them.

"Well, it has been fun," Jessie said.

"But now we must say ado," James added.

"Because," Meowth piped up.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The three of them cried together, hurling the grenades into the air. Brock knew that they would land on the street above the shelter. He remembered the explosive power of the last grenade.

If those grenades hit, then everyone inside the shelter would be in danger!

"Block them!" Brock ordered his pokémon. Brock knew that Onix and Geodude should be able to endure the blasts.

Brock also knew that he was unlikely to be as fortunate. And he wouldn't have time to dismount Onix.

It was his responsibility. It was what he agreed to when he accepted the position of Gym Leader. There was no avoiding it.

Time seemed to slow as the grenades grew closer to Brock. His life would end under the mountain of responsibilities that had been shoved onto him, but at least he would be free. His siblings though, what would happen-

A shadow fell over Brock and his pokémon, even as they interposed their body between the shelter and the grenades. Brock looked up and saw two golems and a rhydon catching the grenades in midair.

There was an explosion, with a loud bang, and a flare of white light, like the grenade that had put the pokémon center into lockdown, rather than the grenade that Team Rocket had recently lobbed at him.

Brock realized that their last bunch of grenades had been a diversion. He would have survived relatively unscathed and the shelter never had been in any danger.

There was a loud thud as the newly arrived rock-types landed nearby. Brock looked closer at the rhydon. He recognized that pokémon…

"Flint," Brock growled, looking around the street. A tan man with a bushy beard, wearing a red hat stood on the side of the street. He wouldn't meet Brock's gaze.

Brock turned away, looking for Jessie, James, and Meowth, but they had vanished. Just as Brock had suspected.

"Why didn't you stop them!" Brock growled, quickly striding over to Flint, who looked away from his son. "Why did you let them get away!?"

"I was busy protecting you," Flint replied.

"Tauros-shit!" Brock swore. "You should have more than three pokémon with you! You could have-"

"I only had them with me," Flight said, still not looking at his son. "I couldn't get them and-"

"Then you shouldn't have waited to step in!" Brock shouted at the taller man. "What, did you just wake up!? The alarms, the evacuations, did you manage to miss them?"

"I-" Flint began to say and then fell silent.

"You what!?" Brock shouted getting in the older man's space and clenching his fists. "Did you even call the gym? Or were you just sitting around and hoping that I would clean up your mess like usual!"

Flint didn't say anything.

"Well! How much of that did you see!" Brock shouted, getting louder. "A rookie trainer got himself involved because I got outmaneuvered. Did you get him out of there! Because when I saw him getting away you didn't seem to be anywhere!"

Flint didn't speak up.

"Were you at least busy making sure that there weren't more enemies in other parts of the city?" Brock's rage continued unabetted. "I doubt it, because I haven't received any updates on my pokégear, which means you either didn't tell anyone about what you were doing or you didn't do anything!"

Flint's silence continued.

"So, what were you doing while all this was going down?!" Brock continued to shout. His face was flushed but he had plenty more to say.

"I was watching," Flint finally whispered. "I was watching your battle." This small confession was greeted by a wordless snarl of rage from Brock.

"Oh, so you didn't help the rookie when he was fighting." Brock growled. "You didn't help me get Onix out of the glue. You didn't do anything to help the city. But you did help when you thought **my **life was in danger. What, were you worried about having no one left to CLEAN UP YOUR FUCKING MESSES!"

Flint didn't say anything. He merely looked at his feet.

Brock unclenched and clenched his fists. Verbally pounding Flint was unsatisfying while the man failed to offer up any resistance.

Brock turned around. "As long as you're in town, make sure to stop by the gym later. There're some things you need take care of. Now if you excuse me, I have to do your damn job."

* * *

Eventually the lockdown was canceled and things returned to normal in Pewter City. Ash had managed to give all of his pokémon antidotes (including Butterfree who insisted that he didn't need one) and had gone back to the pokémon center after the lockdown was lifted to get his pokémon cared for.

There were cops milling around the pokémon center. Ash caught a glimpse of Misty talking to a bunch of officers. He idly wondered why they needed to talk to her again.

Ash waited in the lobby, watching television for an hour or so, before the attending nurse told him that his pokémon were ready to be picked up. He gathered his pokémon and returned to the room he had been staying in.

_Today has been exciting! _Butterfree trilled, flapping around the room.

_For you maybe, _Pikachu grumbled. _The rest of us have a very different opinion. _

_ Getting poisoned is the worst, _Pidgeotto agreed, sticking her tongue out.

_I know, but you two did your best, _Butterfree said, fluttering around the room. _Also, Pidgeotto, is flying always this great? _

_ Generally, it is, _Pidgeotto replied. _But try not to go on about that in front of the groundlings, it's immodest to brag. _

_ Brag about being so easy to electrocute, _Pikachu smirked. _Go ahead. Maybe I can provide a demonstration… _

_ None of that, _Ash said, rolling his eyes. _I don't want to clean up the mess. _

_ We can always go outside and do it, _Pikachu suggested.

_No, _Ash said, yawning. _I'm too tired for any of that today. Oh, and thanks for the save Butterfree. _

_ Yeah, _Pikachu agreed. _You did great! _

_ Excellent timing on that evolution, _Pidgeotto added.

_Thanks, _Butterfree said, purple cheeks reddening. _It was the least I could do. _

_ What's the plan for tomorrow? _Pikachu asked.

_ I don't know, _Ash answered, fighting another yawn. _I think I should stay here because Brock said that he wanted to talk to me. _

_And we still have to fight the onix, _Pikachu groaned. _Did you see the size of that thing? There's no way we can take it on. We're doooomed! _

_ Well, actually…. _Ash yawned, laying down in the bed.

Pikachu waited for his trainer to continue talking, before speaking up. _Well actually what idiot? _

The only response Pikachu received was his trainer's snores.

* * *

Misty groaned and slumped in her chair against the wall of the office that the Pewter City Police Department had commandeered. She had been talking with officers from the moment the lockdown had lifted in the afternoon, to- what was the time even? She looked at the clock, which read one o'clock in the morning. Misty groaned again.

The worst part was that she had insisted on being there. She could have left hours ago, after she had finished telling them about the bloodstains in the pokémon center's server rooms. But no, she just had to insist on following through on the issue, didn't she?

"I thought you kids were used to staying up all night," Officer Jenny said, smiling gently and holding a steaming cup of coffee. "Cobalion knows that once you hit thirty all-nighters become so much worse."

"I've been on the road for the last couple of months. Staying up late doesn't work as well there." Misty said, not bothering to un-slump. "Can I have a cup?"

"Coffee'll stunt your growth you know," Officer Jenny said, smirking.

"Then give me some news," Misty groaned. "Did anyone make any progress?"

"Well, we managed to run the blood against the genetic records of all the staff of the center-"

"Why do they even have that information?" Misty asked staring at the cup of coffee. She knew she shouldn't want some, but…

"You'd be surprised how often it comes in handy," Officer Jenny answered. "Anyway, we know it wasn't any of the staff, and all the guests who had signed in have been accounted for."

"That's good to hear, I guess."

"We've also called in some techies to look over the servers, to see if anything was done to them," Jenny went on. "We need to make sure nothing was done to the Pokémon Storage System."

"Yes, that would- be- baaa-" Misty's voice trailed off into a long yawn. "That would be bad."

"Yes," Officer Jenny said in an amused tone. "It would."

"So, what can I do to help?" Misty asked, recomposing herself after the yawn.

"Go to bed," the police officer said. "You've done enough by bringing this to our attention so quickly. You don't need to do anything else; this is a matter for the police to handle."

"I feel like I should argue," Misty said, yawning again, "but fine." She got up and began slowly walking, almost stumbling as she fought to keep her eyes open, to the room she was staying in. She just hoped that her sisters wouldn't hear of her part in the day's events. Honestly, she just wanted to sleep as quickly as possible.

* * *

The next morning found Brock once again heading for the Pewter City pokémon center. He took in the sight of the city in the morning light, the sun barely over the horizon, the shadows still long, and all the people and buildings bathed in the bright light of a new day.

For the first time in a long while Brock didn't know what the day would bring for him.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

So some of you reviewers have commented that Symbiotic is darker than Symbiosis. I didn't think much of that idea at first, but the more I looked into it, the more I realized there was something there.

See, Symbiotic was meant to be tighter, more cohesive, and **less** dark than Symbiosis, while retaining some of the core concepts and ideas. However it turns out that the goals of 'tighter' and 'more cohesive' don't always gel well with 'less dark'. Some of Symbiosis's darker concepts, like pokémon predation were only really examined in the later parts of Symbiosis, while in Symbiotic they're included from the beginning.

Another issue is that I'm comparing all of Symbiotic against the darkest parts of Symbiosis, rather than comparing the two stories as a whole. I'm also comparing my outline, notes, and backlog as part of this, which you all obviously haven't seen.

I'd also like to state that I did **not **make any changes to this chapter to make it lighter, it was always this pun filled monstrosity.

Hope you all liked Brock's introduction.

Don't forget to leave a review.


	14. Chapter 14

"So anyway, if we go back into the forest to train for a bit," Ash was saying to his pokémon as they were gathered in the Pewter City pokémon center cafeteria once more, "we can have Butterfree master Sleep Powder and learn Psybeam. This will give us a chance against Brock."

_Yes, let's let Butterfree fight the giant stone snake who's immune to electricity, _Pikachu nodding enthusiastically.

_Better you then me, _Pidgeotto also agreed.

_Okay Ash, _Butterfree nodded. _Let's go do it! _

"Giving the troops a speech Aaron?" Misty asked, leaning on the side of the booth seat opposite Ash. She had large bags under her eyes and her hair was a frazzled mess.

"Sort of," Ash said with a small laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "So, uh….."

"Yes, I had a rough night, move over you overgrown bird," Misty gently pushed Pidgeotto over so she could sit down in the booth. "Dare I ask how you dealt with yesterday's excitement?"

"Well," Aaron began, still rubbing the back of his head with one hand, "I managed to distract those Rockets for a bit-"

Misty groaned and sunk her head into her arms on the table.

"Please, please, please, tell me you're joking," Misty groaned. "Tell me that you didn't catch the attention of Team Rocket again?"

Ash gave another small nervous laugh. He didn't want to lie.

"You did, didn't you," Misty somehow managed to slump into the table even further. "Why did I bother getting up? No, wait, how did you managed to survive this long? Do you even know what self-preservation means?"

"Yes," Ash replied, offended. His caretakers had done a very good job teaching him how to survive. He didn't know why Misty seemed so angry with him. After all he had just survived two encounters with dangerous enemies with all of his pokémon intact. He knew how to preserve himself just fine, thank you very much.

"Then why, why, why, do you never bother applying it?" Misty asked in a whine. "Kyogre save me from fools."

"Well, Miss Bossypants, for your information, I was just outside when Team Rocket attacked, and I thought that the gym leader could use some help," Ash shot back. "And I only attacked when they got his onix caught in some glue."

"Did they get a good look at you?"

"Uh, I guess?" Ash shrugged. "They said they recognized me from the reports about the forest?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooo," Misty groaned, rocking her head sideways on the table while clutching at it.

"Is that a bad thing?" Ash asked. "Are they going to-"

To become a new set of hunters? Ash felt suddenly sick at the thought.

"Try and kill you?" Misty finished, picking her head off the table and looking at him. "If you run across them again, they will. But they're not going to go looking for you unless you have something they want. So if you would just not keep doing stupid things-"

_Fat chance of that lady, _Pikachu interjected. _I've been trying to get him to quit that for weeks now. _

"- and keep your head down you should be fine," Misty finished, reaching over to gently pet Pikachu's head. "Aww, are you defending your trainer? Do you not like it when people call him stupid?"

_Well, that would be hypocritical of me now, wouldn't it, _Pikachu said, leaning into her touch.

Ash sighed. He got no respect.

* * *

Sometime later Brock wandered into the pokémon center, just as Ash was finishing his breakfast.

"Hi Brock," Ash said, swallowing the last bite of his meal.

"Hello Aaron," Brock replied. "And- Misty? What are you doing here?"

"Getting caught up in multiple Team Rocket operations from the looks of it," Misty said, digging into her own breakfast.

"So, you're the gym trainer from Cerulean then," Brock said. "Small world, huh. Hear from any of the other gym brats lately?"

"I talked with Aya and Janine a few months back," Misty answered. "Janine's getting ready to take over the gym after Koga gets bumped into whatever new Elite structure we're going to have after the Kanto-Johto union. Aya's getting ready to support her. Other than that, I haven't talked to anyone recently."

"Hopefully she'll do better at running her gym than I ever did," Brock replied.

"Wait-"

"You two know each other?" Ash interrupted.

"Yeah, we're both gym brats," Brock said. At Aaron's uncomprehending expression, Brock continued, "We were both basically raised in our city's gyms, by members of the gym. We all hung out whenever there was a big gym function that our parents went to."

"More importantly, what was that you said earlier," Misty said. "It sounded like you were quitting the gym."

"I am," Brock said. "Effective later today."

"Brock-"Misty began, tone sympathetic, but Brock cut her off.

"I'm free, finally," Brock continued. "Turns out that bastard Flint was in the city. He had been for a while as it turns out. But you know, he didn't bother taking care of his children, or his gym, because I was willing to do all the work."

"That's…. Why didn't he approach you?" Misty hesitantly asked.

"He was 'ashamed'," Brock snorted in reply. "Which he should be. He wasn't there while Suzie and Tilly were crying at mom's funeral. He wasn't there when Salvadore started having trouble at school. He wasn't there when everyone- everyone else was missing mom and we- they just wanted him with them." Brock's fists were clenched tight. "But no, I was the only one there."

Misty didn't have anything to say to that.

"Errr….." Ash had the feeling that he was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.

_Are humans always this dramatic? _Pidgeotto asked.

_I don't know, _Pikachu replied with a shrug. _I mostly hung around televisions, not actual people. _

"Sorry about that Aaron," Brock said, turning to Ash. "Just some personal drama. As I mentioned yesterday, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Why?" Ash asked. Brock coughed once and then stood up straighter.

"Due to your actions against Team Rocket in the area known as the Viridian Forest, I have decided that you have demonstrated the skill and courage necessary for the Boulder Badge," Brock said, reaching out to hand Ash a small, steel gray hexagon, the Boulder Badge.

_Yes! _Pikachu pumped his forepaw in the air. _We got the badge without having to fight that onix! _

_ All that worrying was for nothing, _Pidgeotto sighed.

_Ahh…. I wanted to try Ash's strategy, _Butterfree whined.

"Really!" Ash grinned, holding the badge cupped in his hands. His first badge! "This is awesome! But, uh, shouldn't you-"

"Test you?" Brock finished for him, relaxing his stance. "Aaron, I saw some of your battle yesterday with Team Rocket. You're definitely qualified for your first badge. Oh, and do you want your advancement as a direct deposit, check, or in cash?"

"Cash," Ash answered. He didn't have a bank account and didn't quite understand how checks worked. He'd have to keep track of cash, but he had learned how to ration all sorts of resources from his caretakes.

"I'll come back after lunch to give you the advancement," Brock said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you!" Ash replied happily.

"Congrats," Misty added.

"Bet you thought I couldn't do it!" Ash accused, holding the badge up proudly.

"Actually, it was her report that convinced me that you had earned the badge in the first place," Brock told him.

"So there!" Misty shot back, sticking out her tongue at Aaron.

Brock rolled his eyes as the two younger trainers began to bicker.

* * *

It was after lunch when Brock stopped by the pokémon center with the advancement.

"Where's Aaron," he asked of Misty, who was reading a sports magazine in the lobby.

"He just left; he got a video call from Professor Oak" Misty answered. "I don't know how long he's going to be."

"He knows Oak?"

"Evidently he got Pikachu from the professor," Misty explained. "And Oak likes to keep in touch with the trainers he gave starters to."

"Huh," Brock said, sitting down in the chair across from her.

"What are you going to do now that you've quit the gym?" Misty asked.

"Things I couldn't do before," Brock answered, leaning back in his chair. "Travel, study to become a pokémon breeder, and woo beautiful women."

"Heh," Misty snorted. "Good luck on that last one, because if I remember, you have no game. I mean, Falkner is better at wooing women than you and he's not even into girls!"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Brock huffed, crossing his arms. "Moving on, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to continue to travel and train," Misty replied with a shrug. "I just don't have a specific destination in mind yet." She paused for a moment, leaned forward, and then continued in a quieter voice. "Though, between you and me, I might travel with Aaron for a bit. Just in case Team Rocket decides that they want revenge."

"It would be out of character for them, but not by much," Brock said. "Hmm….."

"What?"

"I don't have a set destination either," Brock answered, shifting in his seat. "I wonder if he'd mind if I tagged along for a little while. Just to make sure that Team Rocket doesn't decide that now's the time to start indulging in personal reprisals."

"I don't see why he'd object," Misty shrugged. "Other than because he's very, very stupid. Oh, and he has no survival instincts. And he seems to find the most dangerous thing to do in a situation whenever he can…"

Brock raised an eyebrow at the comment as Misty began to mutter angrily, but didn't say anything. He simply picked out a magazine of his own and started reading.

They sat in silence for several more minutes before Aaron came back out.

"Oh, Brock you're here," Aaron said. The boy looked grumpy. "Good, this can be done. Professor Oak wants to ask you and Misty about something stupid."

Brock and Misty glanced at each other and shrugged. They followed Aaron back into the video call room and to the booth where the call with Oak was happening.

"Ah, Brock, Misty!" Oak smiled and waved at the two of them through the video screen. "So nice to see you two again."

"Hello Professor," Brock replied.

"Hi," Misty responded.

"Anyway, Aaron here has just been filling me in on recent news," Professor Oak continued. "It's troubling to hear about Team Rocket's recent uptick in activity."

"That's one word for it," Brock said. "I had a few others at the time."

"Painful is what I was thinking," Misty said, looking down at her side. Her wounds had mostly healed, but there were still a couple of bandages left.

"Yes, I read the reports," Oak gave a wry smile. "I can't imagine your sisters were too happy about your experience Misty."

Misty grimaced but didn't say anything.

"I wouldn't worry too much about their reaction young lady," Oak continued. "Undoubtedly they feel worse than you do about the whole incident."

"Really," Misty said in a skeptical tone, raising an eyebrow.

"I know what it's like to feel impotent, to feel like an utter failure," Oak said, frowning. "If you feel like you've let your sisters down, then I can guarantee you that your sisters feel like they've failed you."

"Sure," Misty said, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Anyway, this bring me to the reason I wanted to talk to you two," Oak continued.

"Look, you two don't need to do anything-"Aaron began, but Oak cut him off.

"Brock, can you confirm that you're quitting the gym?" Oak asked the former gym leader.

"Yes," Brock nodded. "Flint's back. He can resume his old position."

"And am I correct in guessing that you're planning on traveling?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a destination in mind?"

"No," Brock replied. "What's this about?"

"In a moment. Misty," the professor's face on the video screen turned to the water-type specialist. "From what I've heard you're also travelling. Am I once again correct in guessing that you don't have a set destination?"

"Yeah, I'm just going around, looking for new pokémon and working on training," Misty answered.

"Good. In that case I would like to ask you two-"

"Professor, you don't need to bother them-"Aaron interrupted, but Oak kept on speaking.

"-to accompany Aaron on his journey," the pokémon professor continued. "I'm worried that Team Rocket might try and target him-"

"Look, you guys really don't have to do anything," Aaron spoke up, blushing furiously. "I don't need, uh, babysitters."

"- and I would rather avoid another tragedy in Pallet Town," Oak finished, face serious. "Aaron, I know that this journey is usually the first taste of independence for young trainers, and you probably don't want to give that up, but with what you've already gone through I believe some protection is required."

"Another tragedy- Oh, the you're talking about the Ketchum murders," Brock said. At his words Aaron's face went blank.

"Yes," Professor Samuel Oak sighed. "I don't know if it's common knowledge, but the Ketchums were my friends. I'm the closest thing Pallet Town has to a gym, so it's my job to keep the town and its' people safe. But, on that night, I failed. I'd rather not fail again."

"I was actually thinking of accompanying Aaron, for a short distance at least," Brock said, looking at the boy in question. Aaron had taken a seat in a waiting chair by the wall. His face was still blank and it didn't look like he was following the conversation anymore. "Just to make sure Team Rocket didn't try anything."

"He doesn't seem to have any sense of self-preservation," Misty added, shooting a pointed glance at the boy. "Letting him go off on his own wouldn't be very responsible of us."

"Well, whatever your reasons, if you could accompany him for even a short amount of time-"

"I'll do it Professor," Brock stated. "Don't worry."

"I'll be there too," Misty added. "He'll be safe with us."

* * *

_Just great, _Ash complained to his pokémon as he packed up his things. _Now we've got babysitters to deal with. _

_ Huh? _Butterfree asked.

_Misty and that gym leader, Brock, are going to be following me, _Ash clarified, waving his arms in exasperation. _To make sure that I don't get into any more trouble. It's just, urgh! _

_ What's so bad about this? _Pidgeotto asked. _You get to spend time with some humans as well as us. That seems like a pretty good deal to me. _

_ But I'm going to have to pretend to be normal around them, _Ash complained. _I won't be able to talk to you guys as much. Or to talk to wild pokémon. It's going to be so annoying!_

_ Maybe, _Pikachu spoke up. _But the extra security will be worth it. _

_ I know- wait, you're taking their side! _Ash spun around and pointed at Pikachu. _You traitor! _

_ You're an idiot, _Pikachu said plainly. _And in the few weeks that I've been with you, you've gotten into two life or death situations. Since, despite your idiocy, I like traveling with you, I'm invested in making sure I can do that for as long as possible. And as we've seen, I'm not quite yet awesome enough to keep you alive on my lonesome. _

_ Oh, come on, it's not like I'll keep stumbling into danger, _Ash complained. _It's just some bad luck that I stumbled into the danger in the Viridian Forest- or actually it was Butterfree's story about the missing caterpies that led us into that mess. _

_ Wait, we never found out what was taking the caterpies! _Butterfree exclaimed, fluttering upward.

_Uh, I'm pretty sure it was Team Rocket, _Ash replied. _Misty said that they were poachers. We can make sure if you'd like. _

_ No, that sounds right, _Butterfree replied settling down.

_Anyway, the point is the babysitters are unnecessary! _Ash continued.

_If you're right, they can quit later, after everyone's seen that you won't be stumbling into more trouble, _Pikachu pointed out.

_ You- Urgh- Okay, fine, _Ash conceded. _We'll put up with them for now._

* * *

"I almost thought you were going to try and slip out the back," Brock commented as Aaron met them by the pokémon center's front entrance, Pikachu on his shoulder.

"No," Ash replied sullenly. "I'm stuck with you two until you realize that nothing's going to happen and you get bored."

"Let's hope you're right," Misty commented. "Where to?"

"This way," Ash said, stepping out of the pokémon center and onto the road. He began to walk a route that would lead him out of the city, Pikachu perched on his shoulder. Brock and Misty followed him on either side.

And with that, they were off.

* * *

Sometime later, Giovanni sat in the same conference room where he had announced Operation: Stolen Fire. Sitting around the table were some of the faces from that meeting, but there were new faces mixed in as well. Amongst those new faces were Hanna, Cassidy, and a green haired man, Butch.

"Our recent operations have been a mixed bag of success and failure," Giovanni said, looking at a sheaf of papers in front of him. "Starting with mass pokémon collection in the Viridian Forest. Miss Sunflower, if you will."

The woman named Hanna, who had fought Ash in the Viridian Forest, stood up and addressed the group. "We collected approximately ninety-five percent of our quota of caterpies from the Viridian Forest. However, the executive in charge of the operation, Jio, died in the line of duty, as did six other members. I am also going to recommend disciplinary action against one Liam Radfar, for the incident covered in the report."

"To briefly summarize what happened," Hanna continued turning to face Giovanni, "Radfar blundered into an engagement with a gym trainer, who in turn ambushed his group. Jio decided, that for the sake of operational security, we needed to find and eliminate the gym trainer and any possible accomplices."

"Not the call I would have made," Ariana said, fingers steepled together, "but one I can understand."

"We encountered one possible accomplice, an unidentified trainer travelling through the forest," Hanna continued. "We attempted to subdue him, but the gym trainer from earlier interfered. We were able to track down both individuals later and engage them in battle. The un-identified trainer defeated my pokémon and I was forced to withdraw. When Jio didn't check in at camp that morning, I decided to withdraw with what remained of our forces. Later reports from Pewter City would confirm Jio's demise."

"Thank you, Miss Sunflower," Giovanni said. "Our other mass pokémon collection operations have been either only marginally successful, or have not yet started. Despite the setbacks you've encountered, your efforts have helped to further the goals of Team Rocket."

"Thank you, Mister Giovanni," Hanna said, saluting the man.

"You should take some time off before your next assignment," Giovanni continued. "Speak to me after the meeting. Next up, Butch and Cassidy have their report to give."

"Thank you, Mister Giovanni," Cassidy said, standing up while Hanna sat down.

"Thanks, Boss," Butch added, joining his teammate. "We also had a partial success. We were able to retrieve the documents from the Silph Co. branch offices in Pewter City, but were unable to complete our other objective."

"Our agent assigned to infiltrate the pokémon center in Pewter City has disappeared," Cassidy took over. "Though, our sources inside the police force have reported that a large amount of blood was found in the center's server room. We can assume that our agent is dead. Our servers never received the ping from their servers that was to signal that the hack was complete, so it looks like he was either interrupted or never had a chance to begin subverting the servers."

"Do the police have any leads that our sources have been able to ferret out?" Giovanni asked, frowning. "Has anyone claimed credit?"

"None thus far," Cassidy answered. "The gym trainer from the forest discovered the blood actually, so we thought that she might have killed him, but there weren't any signs of a battle either."

"We'll come back to this point later," Archer said. "Do you have anything else to report?"

"Jessie's team was able to successfully engage the gym leader in combat for over ten minutes," Cassidy added. "The immobilization foam explosive delivery systems-"

"The glue grenades," Butch interjected.

"Were able to temporarily restrain the gym leader's onix," Cassidy finished, rolling her eyes at her partner's comment. "Jessie's team also reports that they had an opportunity where they might have been able to defeat the gym leader, but the unidentified trainer from the Viridian Forest intervened."

"It looks like R&D's managed to justify their budget with that invention alone," Giovanni commented.

"If I may ask sir, why has R&D only focused on- support devices, I guess- recently?" Cassidy asked. "It seems like these inventions would have been useful back in the Unification Alliance days."

"During the Unification War and the time period that followed, our organization was too focused on achieving direct military might through technology," Giovanni explained. "Part of that was ideological, in that we were grasping for the status quo that predated the Great War, and part of it was an over-reaction to the then recent days of the warlords who were the precursors to the modern-day Leagues."

"I will give the various League some credit," Archer piped up. "You would almost never be able to guess that the gym leaders are the heirs to the legacy of those warlords."

"But enough history for now," Giovanni said, waving his hand. "What concerns me is the identity of whomever interfered with our operation. How did they know what we were doing? Is there a leak? Have we been infiltrated?"

"And did they do anything while they were in the server room," Ariana added. "Our plan to hack the Pokémon Storage System was meant to support Operation Mind-Leech and Operation Totality, but there are plenty of groups out there who could use it for more."

"I wonder…" Giovanni's gazed into empty space, mind miles away. Ariana and Archer shared a glance. They remembered his earlier speculation about the source of the intelligence, about the shadowy manipulator.

"We're going to need to devote resources to hunting down the leak and to try and monitor any foreign movements into Kanto and Johto," Giovanni said. "We'll need to assign squads to each port, airport, mountain pass, and get some surveillance on every smuggler's road that we know of. Ariana, I know you've got your plate full, but I need you to get the ball rolling on this. Once you've got it started, you can delegate the responsibilities."

"Yes sir," Ariana replied. "I should be able to delegate this to Operations. Katie should be able to oversee it once it's up and running."

"Good," Giovanni nodded and turned towards Archer, "Archer, I want you to put together a task force to track down the leak. People you can trust and have a psychic check them over to see if they've been compromised."

"Can do boss," Archer replied.

"We're also going to need to step up our timetable," Giovanni stated. "The League already knows that we're moving so we can disregard stealth for some of our planned operations." He turned to face one of the people from the previous meeting. "Tracking, have you located the persons of interest?"

"We've got some very solid leads," the head of Tracking reported. "We were going to wait for verification before making our move though, try to narrow down which of the individuals we're looking at are the ones we want."

"We don't have time for that anymore," Giovanni told the man. "I need you to eliminate them all soon, before they have a chance to talk. I want this done ASAP."

"Yes, sir," the head of Tracking replied. "Anything else?"

"Nothing at the moment," Giovanni answered. "Does anyone else have anything they would like to bring up?"

"Nothing major," Cassidy spoke up. "Jessie wants to try to recruit the trainer from Pewter City and the Viridian Forest. Should I stop her or let her go ahead if she runs into the kid again?"

"I leave that choice up to you," Giovanni replied. "If Operation: Stolen Fire succeeds, then it won't matter either way. Every trainer will join us or be destroyed."

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading

The usual PSA, email notifications for PMs are down so check your inboxes everybody.

Don't forget to review.


	15. Chapter 15

For the first time in almost a decade, Ash was constantly with other people.

The pokéraised child found it strange, almost stressful. Ash had to keep an eye on where the other two were at all times so that he didn't let the fact that he could understand his team slip. Ash had to remember what topics of conversation were appropriate for humans. Ash had to mask his occasional bouts of ignorance when Brock and Misty discussed seemingly mundane topics like car rides, or getting mail, or going to a friend's birthday party.

But, at the same time, Ash also found it strangely….. comfortable?

"Okay, Aaron," Brock said as the two them were crouched before a clear stream, holding their dirty clothes. "This is how you do laundry in the wild."

Cleaning old and dirty clothes was a lot easier than stealing new ones Ash found. Not that he needed to steal anymore. Before they had left Pewter City, Ash had stopped by a few stores to buy supplies for the journey, including laundry supplies. While he was there Misty helped get some things that his caretakers had missed.

"Alright, here's what you probably need," Misty said to Ash, handing him a list.. "Aaron, from what I've seen, you did a pretty good packing for your journey, but you forgot a few things, such as a gas stove to cook when it's raining, some swimming equipment-"

"Errr…." Ash began, rubbing the back of his head. "That's because I can't really swim….." None of his caretakers had been really able to swim either. They had made sure that Ash knew how to do the basic paddle (with Pocket Watch nearby to telekinetically fish him out of the water if things seemed to be going wrong), but nothing beyond that.

"That's okay, I'll teach you later," Misty assured the boy. "Now, for non-perishable ingredients…."

Ash's team missed having their trainer all to themselves, but they still got along with Brock and Misty. Brock in particular took to brushing Pikachu and grooming Pidgeotto, trying techniques from the various manuals on pokémon breeding he had purchased.

"It's not like Geodude or Onix have a coat to brush," Brock told Ash one day while going through Pidgeotto's feathers. "Though, there's also some polishing techniques I'll be giving a try."

_Mhmmmm…. A little to the left, _Pidgeotto moaned. _They can wait their turn to be polished. _

Misty found herself enjoying the occasional feeding session with Butterfree.

"I don't like bug-types," she confided in Ash as she tossed Butterfree a treat, "but butterfrees are the exception. They're just so pretty."

_Thanks Misty! _Butterfree trilled.

To his surprise, Ash was actually glad for the company.

* * *

Sunlight shone down on those gathered at the funeral, as Aoba, a man with blue grey hair and large glasses, sat and cried.

People spoke about the deceased, but Aoba couldn't hear them. He was gently drowning in his own memories of the man that they were burying.

His name had- had- **had**\- been Ted. Aoba could remember the first time he met the other man, after he had left the project on Cinnabar Island. Or maybe it would be better to say after he fled the project on Cinnabar Island. A project that never should have been started, a project that he should have known better than to get involved with.

Aoba had been aimlessly wandering Kanto, looking for a place to rest. He had briefly considered applying for a position at Silph Co, for he had been an accomplished scientist and researcher. But after Cinnabar Island Aoba couldn't bring himself to continue in that line of work.

He had just recently left Cerulean City, savings running low, just walking the road, when he had come across this small village. Aoba had stopped by a small riverside café. There had been a man there with messy maple brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a brilliant smile bringing coffee out to patrons. That had been Ted.

After talking to the man Aoba found himself lingering in town. Each day he visited the café. His saving dwindled, but the former scientist couldn't bring himself to move on.

Aoba eventually got a job at the local general store and found a place in town. He continued visiting the café each day. Eventually he and Ted began to meet outside of the café. They walked through the woods and by the river, enjoying the fresh air and the sounds of pokémon playing in the water.

Even at Ted's funeral Aoba could still remember the taste of their first kiss. They were huddled under a tree, driven there by a sudden rainstorm. Raindrops had been drumming on the river while they held each other.

They had lived together for five years, Aoba quitting the general store to help run the café. Life had been quiet and happy. The smell of coffee and the sounds of happy customers had filled their mornings and afternoons. The evenings were spent in each other's arms, as they wandered the vibrant and beautiful forests around their village.

And then it all came crashing down one day. Ted had suffered a severe allergic reaction to something in Aoba's drink. He had died choking on nothing in front of Aoba.

The former scientist looked up as the current speaker at the funeral ended their speech. Next, they would lower the casket into the grave. And with that even Ted's remnants would be forever beyond Aoba.

It shouldn't have been Ted. Aoba had been the one who had participated in the shame at Cinnabar Island. One year after he had left, Aoba had heard that the mansion on Cinnabar Island, the one that had contained the lab he had worked on, had been destroyed in a great conflagration. The thing- the **blasphemy- **that they had been creating was undoubtedly responsible.

He had seen it in his dreams, nightmares of fire and destruction. Each time he had awoke to Ted's comforting embrace, but even that was never enough to banish his fear, to banish his shame. Aoba thought that his days were numbered. It should be him buried in the soft earth, not Ted.

Not Ted.

* * *

Mount Moon was lovely in the last days of summer as Ash and company made their way through the pass. Spearows and pidgeys chirped in the forest. Streams trickled and splashed and the leaves were a vibrant green, for a few more weeks before fall would come.

Ash decided to stop early that day, to have more time to train his pokémon and to enjoy the scenery.

Butterfree practiced using his nascent psychic abilities, levitating objects, and keeping a mental eye on the positions of everyone else. Ash hoped that soon he would be able to learn Psybeam, so that Butterfree would have a potent offensive ability to go with Sleep Powder and Stun Spore. Ash also had an idea for a basic counter against Supersonic, where a pokémon used psychic power to create a thin slice of vacuum between them and the attack, that he wanted to work on with Buttefree.

Ash had Pidgeotto working on learning to fight blind and on a Sand-Attack variant that would mimic Sandstorm, but would severely reduce visibility on the whole battlefield instead of damaging pokémon. Combined with Pidgeotto's developing ability to fight blind, it would be a nice way to delay attackers while the rest of the team escaped.

Ash and Pikachu meanwhile discussed what the electric type should be working on.

_Honestly, I don't think Double Team is for me, _Pikachu said. _I can just use my speed to dodge already. What I'd really like is a way to hurt ground-types. _

_ Still mad that you have no way to fight an onix? _Ash asked.

_No, idiot, _Pikachu replied, _only a fool wants to fight a giant snake made out of stone. I just want a backup attack for when I run into the rare thing that I can't zap into submission. _

_ Hmm… _Ash rubbed his chin, thinking. He had seen other humans doing it on occasion when they seemed like they were thinking and assumed that it helped somehow. _I don't have the budget for another training manual until after my next advancement, but if Double Team's off the table, I guess I we can focus on improving your stamina and control so you can use Thunder more than once until then. _

_ What move are you going to have me learn? _Pikachu asked.

_Let's see what you can learn, _Ash said, flipping open his pokédex. _And something that works against ground-types…. doesn't look like you can learn anything super-effective against ground-types themselves, but Iron Tail would be super-effective against rock-ground types. _

_ I'll take it! _Pikachu exclaimed, looking at his tail. _It will give me an option besides Quick-Attack for close combat, so I can beat up jerks like that electabuzz even easier! _

_ If you say so, _Ash said with a small laugh.

Later that day, when he returned to the campsite, he found Brock busying himself with some pots and pans.

"Oh, hi Aaron," Brock said, briefly looking up. "Done training for the day?"

"Yeah," Ash answered. "What about you?"

"I'm done as well," Brock said. "Zubat made good progress today." Brock had recently caught a zubat that had bothered them when they had passed by one the caves around Mount Moon. He had been training it to be a scout.

"Cool. What are you cooking today?" Ash asked.

"A skillet," Brock answered. "There are tasty mushrooms that grow out here this time of year. I thought I'd try using them tonight."

"Can I help?" Ash asked. Poison Lance had taught him to identify the most common mushrooms that were safe for human consumption, but Ash was ready to try some new ones.

"Sure," Brock replied. "Let me just make sure I have everything else we need." Brock dug around in his backpack for a little bit, muttering to himself, and then stood back up. "Let's go."

Ash followed Brock back into the forest, listening when the other boy began to describe how to find the mushroom. "They only grow on exposed oak roots, and only when those roots are on the north side of the tree," Brock told Ash. "And before you ask, I don't know why they do that."

They continued searching for a few minutes, not talking much.

"Have you had these mushrooms before?" Ash asked Brock finally.

"Once, long ago," Brock said. "I was out here camping with Da- Flint and Forrest, my oldest younger brother. It was years ago."

"Oh," Ash replied.

"It rained most of our trip," Brock went on. "I remember Forrest was so disappointed."

"What's he like," Ash, who was both an orphan and an only child asked.

Brock began to excitedly describe each of his siblings. Forrest, Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy, and Tilly. He happily described their behaviors, their personalities, and how they were doing in school. He animatedly discussed their interests, how some wanted to become pokémon trainers, while a few wanted to become doctors, or chefs. He talked about their favorite foods, their favorite movies, their favorite places in Pewter City.

It was the happiest Ash had ever seen Brock. It made Ash wonder what having siblings would have been like…

After they got back to the campsite Brock began to get out some other ingredients.

"Do you want to help me cook?" Brock asked.

"Sure!" Ash replied. Brock smiled and began to go over how to prepare the ingredients. How to safely chop the vegetables and how to prepare the dried meats. Ash was slow and careful in his work. Brock began setting up the fire and the cooking equipment. Once a small fire was ready, Brock then helped Ash finish preparing the ingredients.

"Okay, now a mistake a lot of people make when cooking a skillet is that they think the order of ingredients doesn't matter," Brock told Ash as he added some of the ingredients. "Some things take longer to cook than others, and certain juicy ingredients can alter the flavors from the other ingredients when cooking, so you want those to be cooked first."

It took them about an hour to prepare and cook the skillet. Misty came back to camp shortly before they were done. Brock served them up each a portion of the skillet and they began to dig in.

"This is pretty good," Misty commented between bites.

"Thank you, but I had help from Aaron this time," Brock replied.

"Well, good job then," Misty said to Ash.

Ash nodded and returned to his own meal. It was delicious.

Ever since the night his parents died, Ash rarely had eaten cooked meals. The meals provided by Poison Lance trended towards salads and arraignments of berries, while Pocket Watch stole pre-cooked meats. It was only on the rare occasions that Ash ate at one of his human friend's houses that he had a recently cooked, warm, meal.

And never before had Ash helped cook a meal. It was really enjoyable to eat know that his efforts had helped result in this taste.

It was nice to learn how to cook, Ash reflected that night, curled up in his sleeping bag, Pikachu on his chest. And hearing about Brock's family had been fun.

Traveling with people was nice, even if it did make Ash wonder about how his life might have been if his parents hadn't been killed, if he had grown up with people, instead of only being able to visit.

* * *

It was late at night while Aoba stared at the autopsy report. He didn't know why he was torturing himself like that. There was nothing he could have done to save Ted. And even if there had been a way to save him, it no longer mattered.

He was sitting in the apartment above the café, where he and Ted had lived. It belonged to him now, not that Aoba wanted it. The former scientist was planning on giving it to some of Ted's relatives and moving on. There was nothing left for him in the village, other than painful memories of a happier time.

Aoba continued to stare at the report. There was something he was missing. Something about the report was wrong. But what?

He'd been a biochemist once. He should be able to identify what was bothering him. What-

The histamine levels. An allergic reaction meant that they should be high, but not that high. A human shouldn't have been able to produce that much histamine, not that quickly. But if someone were to ingest a high dose of concentrated histamine…

Ted hadn't died due to an unknown allergy. He had been poisoned by someone who wanted to make his death look natural.

Aoba went cold at the realization, face turning pale.

But who would do such a thing? Ted had been born and raised in the village, only ranging as far as Cerulean City, and even that had been rare. He had no enemies or anything that someone should be willing to murder him over. He had been well loved by the community. If anything, Aoba should have…. been….

No one had wanted to murder Ted. Aoba knew that he had been the target.

His sins were coming home to roost.

* * *

Ash and company made it through the pass and were on the other side of Mount Moon as the seasons began to change, summer slowly transforming into fall. It was another gorgeous day of sunlight and clear skies, and this time Ash decided to stop by a lakeside to enjoy the scenery and train.

Before he could go off and train with his pokémon however, Misty grabbed his arm.

"I told you I'd teach you how to swim," she said to Ash, "and this looks like a great place to learn. Go change into your swimming trunks."

"Umm…" Ash looked out onto the water. The heat of summer had barely begun to wane, and the sparkling clear water did look cool and inviting. "Okay I guess."

He changed and came back. Misty had already waded into the lake and motioned for him to join her. Pikachu decided to take a nap on the beach.

"Do you know how to float?" She asked the boy.

"I know how to paddle," Ash answered. "That's it."

"Okay, so we'll start with the front float, it's a good foundation for some other skills," Misty said, wading over to him. "Now start leaning forward. Don't worry about falling or sinking, I'll hold onto until you're ready."

"Okay," Ash said as Misty began to help him position himself. For some reason Ash was acutely aware of her position next to him, her cold wet hands on his bare skin. It was strange, but not unpleasant.

"Lay forward, don't worry, I've got you," Misty instructed as Ash maneuvered himself into the water. He gasped as the cold water engulfed his forward half. "Now pick up your head using your neck only, try not to use your back or you'll sink."

Ash complied with her instructions.

"Now stick out your arms to the side, to help you keep your balance," Misty said, still gently holding onto him. After Ash did as she said, Misty spoke again. "Now I'm going to let you go. If something goes wrong it's shallow enough for you to stand here. Stay relaxed and I'm letting go now."

She did and Ash found himself floating. A very different experience from the paddles he had done early. He looked over at Misty.

"I think I've got the float," he told her.

"Okay, from here there are a couple of different strokes you can do," Misty went on. "We'll start with the front crawl…."

It took Ash about half an hour to really get the stroke down. But by the end of it he was able to swim laps in the shallow end of the lake.

"I think your pokémon might enjoy a swim too," Misty suggested. "I know mine will."

"They probably would," Ash agreed. The two humans waded back to shore and released their pokémon.

_Mmmhm, _Pidgeotto licked her beak. _I'm going to go looking to see if this lake has any fish. _

_ I guess I can try swimming, _Butterfree said. _Though I might just enjoy the sun instead. _

"You know," Ash said, looking sideways the sleeping form of Pikachu. "Pikachu's all dry… maybe someone should take care of that…."

_But if he wants to stay dry, there's nothing to take care of, _Butterfree said, head tilted in confusion.

_He's saying we should splash him! Like this! _Pidgeotto flapped her wings, using wind to whip up a small wave of water. The wave crashed over Pikachu, leaving him soaking.

_Of course, you know, this means war, _the drenched electric type said before leaping into the lake.

"Ha!" Misty laughed, hands on her hips. "You call that a wave? Staryu, show these amateurs how it's done!"

A water-fight ensued, Ash and his team against Misty, with Ash being thoroughly trounced. Then Brock joined them in the water. He attempted to help Ash in the next water-fight, but they still ended up trounced.

All of them spent several more hours in the lake, swimming, laughing, and playing in the bright sunlight of the last days of summer.

* * *

Aoba finished packing what he would need. He left a note to express his farewells, and a notarized letter containing the deed for the café and instructions to give it to a relative of Ted's. He looked over the place that had been his home for the last five years and then turned off the light.

He left the café, the village, his love in the cold earth, and walked into the darkness.

* * *

AN: Short chapter so it gets an early release.

Will probably release another short chapter Thursday

Don't forget to review.


	16. Chapter 16

It took Ash and his friends another few days to get from Mount Moon to Cerulean City. Coming down from the highlands, they were able to see the city two days before they reached it. A large glass roofed structure stood amidst a ring of gentle green hills and spots of forest, which was in turn surrounded by patches of buildings. A narrow inlet sparkled in the distance, separating the town from the end of Kanto's northern mountain range.

About a day from their destination, before Ash and company were able to reach the main road, they met a squad of gym trainers.

"Halt," a man in a brown khaki uniform, bearing the water drop emblem of the Cerulean Gym said holding up his hand. Two woman and one man stood off in the distance, wearing the same uniform, watching them. "Can I see some identific- Misty, is that you?"

"Hello to you too Eddie," Misty replied. "What are you doing out here?"

"Your sisters got wind of the attack on Pewter City," Eddie answered. "They've got us doing patrols to make sure Team Rocket doesn't try anything here."

"They're more on top of things than I expected," Misty said. "I thought they'd have you helping put together the set for their next performance."

"Oh, no," Eddie said. "They're just working double time by themselves to get that put together."

Misty slapped her forehead and let her hand drag down her face. "Of course, they are," Misty groaned through her palm.

"So, who are these two?" Eddie asked, turning to Brock and Ash.

"This is Aaron," Misty answered, "and this is Brock, former Gym Leader from Pewter City."

"Huh," Eddie looked at the two of them. "Odd bunch. Anyway, I'm Eddie." He held out his hand.

"Brock," Brock said, shaking the hand. Eddie turned to Ash. Ash didn't do anything.

"Earth to Aaron," Misty said. "You're supposed to shake it and introduce yourself."

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "But didn't you just introduce us?"

"You're also supposed to introduce yourself! Didn't whoever raised you teach you manners!" Misty exclaimed.

_She's right you know, _Pikachu chimed in from Ash's shoulder. _Don't argue, just shake the hand. _

"Uh," Ash rubbed the back of his head, and then turned to Eddie. "I'm Aaron," the boy said, shaking the man's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Eddie said, looking amused. "Anyway, Misty, I'll call your sisters and tell them you're coming- "

"No need," Misty interrupted, smiling sheepishly. Ash thought that something seemed off about her expression. "I want to surprise them."

"Okay," Eddie replied. "It's nice to see you getting along better with them."

"Yep," Misty said, smiling weirdly. "I'll see you later."

"Be seeing you miss," Eddie said and then rejoined his squad, who resumed their patrol.

"I'm guessing that you're not actually planning on telling your sisters that you're in town," Brock commented once the gym trainers were out of hearing distance

"And if you know what's good for you, you won't tell them either," Misty growled. "Same goes for you Aaron."

"Ooookaaay," Ash answered, understanding why her earlier expressions seemed strange. "But don't you want to see your family while you're here?"

"No!" Misty exclaimed. "Let's just get to the pokémon center."

* * *

They checked into the pokémon center, which was currently hosting trainers for four days. Their pokémon were looked over and then the three humans retired to their rooms.

_Huh, _Ash said, looking around at his room. _Somehow, I expected the room to either be more different from the one in Pewter City, or more similar. This is just some strange in-between. I don't get how's that's possible….. _

_ It's because the furniture's the same, idiot, _Pikachu said, jumping onto the bed. _The wall's a different color, the room's a different shape, and everything in a different place, but it's the same furniture._

_ Oh, _Ash said glancing around. _I guess you're right. _

_ Of course, I'm right, _Pikachu said.

_This gym is supposed specialize in water-types, _Ash said, changing the topic. _I guess I'll be relying on you a lot here. _

_ Yes! _Pikachu pumped one forepaw in the air. _It's my time to shine! _

_ Should we come up with a strategy? _Ash asked.

_Yes, _Pikachu replied, crossing his forepaws and nodding. _Should I shock them hard or should I shock them very hard? Such a tough question… _

_ You know, they're specialists, _Ash said. _They'll probably have some counters against electric types. _

_ Oh, and what hope do they have against my overwhelming power!? _Pikachu asked sparks flying from his cheeks.

_Well, if Misty's any indication, they'll probably have a lot of ice-type moves, _Ash answered looking at the ceiling and thinking, _and ice is a poor conductor. They might do something with that. What else…. what would I do….? Maybe a mist to diffuse the bolt…. Though you could counter that with the control training you've been doing….. if it's an underwater battlefield there's not much they could do to stop you from electrocuting everything, but they might have a trick…. Assuming that they're not just strong enough to shrug off whatever you can throw at them…. _

_ You're overthinking this, _Pikachu said. _All we got to do is show up and shock them. It'll be quick and easy. Just you see. _

_ I hope you're right._

* * *

The next day Ash hurried up and ate breakfast, barely taking time to exchange greetings with Brock and Misty, and then he hurried outside and was on his way to the gym.

Along the way Ash thought that he recognized a familiar face, a girl with brown eyes and charcoal brown hair. It was Leaf!

"Hi Leaf!" Ash called out, gently jogging over to her.

"Oh, hi Aaron," Leaf said, turning and stopping to let him catch up to her. "It's good to see you're alright. I heard about what happened in the forest from Professor Oak."

"Oh, that?" Ash replied. "It was scary, but I didn't get really get hurt."

"And then I heard about what happened in Pewter City from the Professor as well."

"Yeah, but that was better then the forest," Ash replied. "They didn't even hit me there!" Leaf's face gained a funny expression after hearing that and Pikachu sighed.

_Ash, you're an idiot, _the electric type said from his human's shoulder. _That's not going to reassure other humans_.

There were several seconds of awkward silence before Leaf spoke again.

"Anyway," Leaf said, fidgeting. "Have you seen Gary lately?" Her cheeks took on a red tint when she asked the question.

"He stopped by in Pewter City," Ash answered. "We had a pokémon battle."

"Did he say anything about me- I mean anything about why he was still back in Pewter City?" Leaf asked.

"Oh, he asked where you were, and when I didn't know, he said that he'd hurry up through Mount Moon to catch up," Ash answered.

"Hmmpf," Leaf huffed. "I got the Cascade badge weeks ago and had time to go to Lavender Town and back."

"What were the gym leaders here like?" Ash asked.

_Soon to be shocked, I can assure you of that, _Pikachu piped up.

"I don't know, I got tested by a gym trainer," Leaf said. "Just watch out for ice moves, I think most of their pokémon know at least one."

"Okay, thank you," Ash said. "I've got to go get my badge today."

"Good luck," Leaf said. "Take care of yourself." She clenched her fists by her sides and then declared in a louder voice. "And if you see Gary again, tell him that I'm heading to Saffron City and that he needs to pick up his pace! Tell him he needs to live up to all that talk of his!"

"Okay?" Ash replied, confused, as she turned around and walked off. He never got what was going on with her and Gary.

* * *

After his conversation with Leaf, Ash continued on his way to the gym. When he got there, he found the gym to be bustling with activity. But there were also no identifiable trainers, gym trainers or otherwise.

Instead it seemed to be construction workers and other laborers, carrying plants and what looked like pieces of terrain at first glance. When Ash got a closer look, he realized that the terrain was fake. The pokéraised child wondered what was going on. Maybe the battle arena was being redone?

He eventually found a person sitting at a desk that looked like they might know how to schedule a battle.

_You might need to bribe the secretary with coffee, _Pikachu suggested. _Or pastries. It's how detectives get access to things. _

_ I've never heard of that, _Ash whispered back. _Where did you hear that? _

_ On all the detective shows they liked to play at one of the appliance stores I raided, _Pikachu answered.

Ash rolled his eyes and walked over to the person at the desk.

"Hi, I'm here for a gym battle," Ash said to the lady at the desk.

"We don't have anyone currently available for one," the lady said without looking up at him. "You'll want to schedule one for the future."

"Why don't you have anyone available for a gym battle?" Ash asked. "What's going on?"

"All the gym trainers are currently assigned to patrolling outside the city," the lady told him. "And the gym leaders are busy preparing for their next performance."

"Okay, when will they be ready to do battles again?"

* * *

_A month….. So much for quick, _Ash muttered as he walked back to the pokémon center.

_Well, my battle will be quick and easy, _Pikachu replied. _I didn't say anything about your struggles. _

Ash made his way into the pokémon center, where Brock was reading a book in the lobby and Misty was talking to the on-duty nurse.

"Don't tell me they're done with you already," Misty groaned when she noticed that Ash had returned. "Did they just give you the damn badge?"

"No," Ash replied in a sullen tone, crossing his arms. "They're not doing any battles for a month….."

"What?" Misty said in a flat voice.

"The leaders are getting ready for some performance," Ash explained. "And the gym trainers are out."

"Those- Why I oughta- Grrrrrr," Misty growled. She grabbed Ash's arm and starting walking towards the pokémon center exit. "Aaron, we're going back to the gym and you're going to get a damn battle."

"This should be fun," Brock commented, getting up and following them.

"Wait!" Ash protested as he was dragged back outside. "Can't I grab a snack first?"

* * *

Once again Ash found himself in the Cerulean City Gym, but this time an irate red-head dragged him past the surprised looking secretary and through some official looking doors.

Past the doors there was an empty tank where laborers were busy arranging the fake terrain and plants. Three svelte young women were directing them, one with cherry pink hair, one with indigo blue hair, and one with gold blonde hair.

"What do you think you're doing!" Misty shouted as soon as she saw the three women.

"Misty!" The woman with blue hair exclaimed. "You're back so soon! And you brought friends!"

"I brought a trainer looking to get a badge!" Misty shouted. "Which this gym doesn't seem to be giving out anymore!"

"Hi Brock!" The violet haired woman said, ignoring Misty, and waving at Brock who had followed behind Ash and Misty.

"Brock!" The blonde-haired woman called out. "Finally got out of Pewter City?"

"Long time no see Brock!" The cherry haired woman said. "How's the gym?"

"Hi Violet, Daisy, Lily," Brock replied. "And I don't know how the gym is, I'm not the gym leader anymore. Flint finally came back so it's his problem now."

"Oh, you're so lucky," Lily sighed as she and her sisters walked over. "So why are you with the runt?"

"I'm not a runt, and we're making sure that this rookie- "Misty shoved Ash forward, to face her sisters, "- stays out of trouble. And right now, he's here for a badge. Which you _should _be handing out, instead of pretending that you're coordinators!"

"Why are you guarding this rookie?" Violet asked. "Wait, is that Professor Oak's grandson?"

"No, uh, ma'am, that's Gary Oak," Ash replied. "I'm Aaron Autumns."

"So why are you guarding this squirt?" Lily asked. "Don't you have better things to be doing? What happened to becoming a water-type master?"

"I can do that and guard this shrimp at the same time!" Misty shouted, stepping forward. "But you need to quit playing at being a coordinator, put on your big girl clothes, and start being gym leaders!"

"Calm down runt," Lily said. "We've got the trainers doing patrols, we recently convinced City Hall to upgrade the defense system's cybersecurity, and we integrated the gym's communication system with the police. The city's fine, so we can relax."

"No, you can't!" Misty shouted. "You also need to test trainers and hand out badges! If-"

"Again, calm down runt," Lily said, with a dismissive wave of her hand, "there's no conference this year, so a little waiting won't hurt anyone."

"Yes, yes it will!" Misty shouted back. "One of the fundamental responsibilities of a gym is to provide training and testing! It's vital to both the League and the economy of the region to have as many strong trainers and pokémon as it can!"

("So how are your siblings?" Violet asked Brock while Misty shouted at Lily.)

"Don't you go quoting your civics textbook at me. Besides, it's vital for us to do this performance on time," Lily shot back at Misty.

("Oh, they're doing great," Brock answered and began to tell Violet all about them.)

"You can do the performance after it's safe for the gym trainers to quit patrolling!" Misty howled at her sister, clenching her fists and stepping into Lily's space.

("Why are they guarding you in the first place?" Daisy asked Ash.)

"Oh, so now you want to put the city in danger by calling back the patrols!? How hypocritical!" Lily shouted back at Misty, looming over her younger sister.

("Well I met Misty when she saved me from some Team Rocket pokémon," Ash said, explaining the basics of his situation.)

"No, I'm saying wait to do your stupid performance until it's safe to call the gym trainers back!" Misty yelled, getting up on the balls of her feet so that she could get in her older sister's face.

The shouting match continued for several minutes while Violet chatted with Brock and Daisy chatted with Ash.

"You dumb bimbo!" Misty growled as she fought off the headlock Lily was trying to put her in.

"You ignorant brat!" Lily growled back, straining to keep her younger sister in the headlock.

_Should we be worried about this? _Pikachu asked Ash, who ignored him in favor of continuing to talk with Daisy.

"So, what do you think about Agatha's new look?" Violet asked Brock, still ignoring her sisters.

"It's so frustrating," Brock answered. "Last year she was doing the hot older witch look and now she's doing the grandmother witch thing, which makes the fact that I found her hot last year awkward…."

"Like, I know, right?" Violet agreed. "I was too young for her, and she doesn't like women anyway, but I could at least look."

"What do you think of Cerulean City?" Daisy asked Ash, also ignoring Misty.

"I thought it would have more water," Ash commented. "You know, like Canalave City."

"Oh, you've been to Canalave City?" Daisy replied. "You'll have to tell me about it. But, as to Cerulean, people always think we should switch types with Vermillion City Gym, just because they have a port and we have an abandoned power plant."

"You're a disgrace!" Lily and Misty shouted at each other at the same time, trading punches and grappling with each other.

_At least this is entertaining, _Pikachu commented, sitting by Ash's feet and watching the sisters fight.

"Lorelei spent too much time here when we were kids, before she became a member of the Elite Four, so she's too much like family," Violet complained to Brock, "and the same goes for Sabrina, so I can't even ogle them without it getting awkward. Erika's the only Gym Leader who's a pretty girl, not related to me, and not a former Kanto gym brat, so I can at least ogle her. But, of course, she's not into girls."

"Ouch," Brock winced in sympathy. "I mean, yeah, I'm too young for Erika and Lorelei, but at least they're into my gender and they don't see me as family so I can dream."

"At least you don't have to stay at the gym anymore," Violet whined. "You can go out and meet pretty girls all over Kanto…."

"It's great, I know," Brock agreed. "But surely you have plenty of girls in Cerulean?"

"We do, but we're cursed!" Violet moaned. "I get all the boys and Lily gets all the girls! And it's not like we can trade! We've tried and it never works!"

"We're actually second-generation gym leaders," Daisy explained to Ash. "Our parents joined the gym as gym trainers and later won the gym in the succession tournament after the old gym leader retired. When they died none of our gym trainers challenged us for the position, so we just inherited it."

"Is that how you become a gym leader?" Ash asked. "I sort of wondered…"

"I mean in the old days you just challenged the leader to a battle to the death and if you won you got the gym," Daisy answered. "But that was during the days after the Great War and before the Unification War. Today you have to wait until the old gym leader dies or retires, and then you either inherit it, or contest the inheritance and win the succession tournament."

"Huh," Ash said. "What does a gym leader do other than give out badges? Do you catch criminals?"

"No, that's what the police do. We, like, have to guard the city against big threats, like rampaging pokémon or terrorists or invaders or something," Daisy replied. "I mean, if the police need some muscle, we can help them, but mostly they do their thing and we do our thing."

"I go away for a few months and you quit even trying to be good gym leaders!" Misty growled as her sister bore down on her, attempting to force Misty to the ground and into a three-quarter nelson.

"Well, maybe if you stayed here you could've helped out," Lily growled. "And then maybe we could still give out badges!"

"Oh, so you want me to do your work for you! That's what this is all about!" Misty said through gritted teeth, jamming her thumb into one of Lily's pressure points. "Mad that you lost a source of free labor!"

"I'm mad because you got into a fight with Team Rocket and nearly died!" Lily screamed. She and Misty quit their struggle, Misty staring at Lily in shock. Then Lily swept Misty up into a hug. Misty squeaked in surprise, face going red.

"Will you please stay here?" Lily begged her youngest sister, holding her tight. "I'm sick of having nightmares about you dying in the wild. If I had known that Team Rocket was getting more active, I wouldn't have let you leave. I would have made sure that Daisy and Violet wouldn't let you leave. Please don't leave."

"Hey," Misty protested, squirming in her sister's grasp. "I handled those Rocket's fine! If I hadn't needed to protect Aaron, I could have gotten away from them!"

"I wonder if Oak was trying to protect her as well," Daisy speculated to Ash. "If she's traveling with you, she's traveling with Brock, and he can protect her too."

Ash just shrugged.

"My little sisters are getting along," Violet said, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye. "Excuse me," she said to Brock. "I've got to go hug them both."

"Hey!" Misty protested as Violet joined in on the hug.

"I don't want to be left out," Daisy told Ash, before following suit.

"Girls, stop, this is embarrassing," a blushing Misty protested as she was hugged by all three of her sisters. "I'm fine. The crossbow bolts didn't even leave scars."

"That's not as reassuring as you seem to think it is," Daisy told her youngest sister.

"I always knew you could take care of yourself," Violet told Misty. "But did you have to prove it by picking a fight with a squad of Rockets?"

"Hey!" Misty said, still trying to squirm out of her sisters' embrace. "This isn't about me! I came here to yell at you about your irresponsible running of the gym!"

"Yes, but now you're being a good girl and letting your big sisters, who have been worried sick about you, hug you," Daisy said.

"No," Misty said, her face completely red. "Go talk to Aaron about a gym battle! He needs to get a Cascade badge."

"After this hug," Violet said.

"Now!"

_Ahh, I love a happy ending, _Pikachu said, wiping a tear out of the corner of his eye.

* * *

Eventually Misty was able to escape. She talked to her sisters about the issue with badges again, with both sides behaving more calmly this time, and got them to agree to at least do battles with trainers who only four or less badges.

Ash was the first one to be put through the battle, choosing two pokémon to use in a series of one on one battles. Ash choose Pidgeotto and Pikachu and a couple of fun battles against a gym goldeen and a gym shellder. In the end Ash narrowly scraped by with a victory after figuring out that the shellder was using Substitute to distract Pikachu and having his pokémon reposition accordingly.

_Okay, _Pikachu panted. _So maybe I was a bit overconfident earlier. But it doesn't matter, because I still won! _

The Sensational Sisters gave Ash the badge and then sent him and Brock on their way back to the pokémon center. Misty had to stay behind because her sisters wanted to spend some more time with her. Ash and Brock amused themselves by walking around Cerulean City, trying out places to eat and snack.

They met Misty at the pokémon center that night.

"How'd things go with your sisters?" Brock asked as he and Ash lounged in comfy chairs in the lobby.

"Fine," Misty replied. "We talked for and then they made me go out to dinner with them."

"Oh, was the food good?" Ash asked, remembering the places he had been. The sushi place had been good, the burger place less so….

"Too expensive for my tastes," Misty replied. "We're heading out tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," Ash confirmed.

_We could stay here a bit longer, _Pikachu, who had stuffed himself on various pastries when Ash and Brock had stopped by a bakery, said lying on his back on the arm of the chair. _I need to gain a few pounds and this would be a great place to do it. _

"Good," Misty replied, grabbing an unoccupied chair and joining Brock and Ash. "I don't want to spend another minute here if I can help it."

"You don't like it here?" Brock asked.

"No, I just hate the way they run the gym," Misty said, sinking into the chair. "I don't want to come back until I can kick them out of the gym and they can go become coordinators or something."

Brock thought that Misty's sisters were eagerly awaiting the day that Misty could do that as well, but said nothing.

"Well, were to next Aaron?" Brock asked the pokéraised child.

"Uh," Ash pulled out his pokédex and looked at the map. "Vermillion City. Daisy told me that they specialize in electric types there and I might be able to get some advice on how to train Pikachu better."

"As long as we get out of here soon, we can go to the moon for all I care," Misty said.

* * *

AN:

Not too much to say. I'll just mentioned that Aoba from last chapter isn't _technically _an OC (though he might as well be one), if you dig around in Bulbapedia you can find the source for that character.

Don't forget to review.


	17. Chapter 17

Aoba didn't know who **they** were. Aoba didn't know how **they** had found him. Aoba didn't know why **they** wanted him. He only knew that **they** were hunting him.

It had been over a week since he had left his home behind. The former scientist from Cinnabar Island had thought that it meant that he had also left the people who had tried to kill him behind. Or he had hoped that it had meant that he had left them behind long enough to discover their identities.

They had killed Ted. Aoba wanted to at least be able to set the police on them, to gain some small measure of justice.

But the murderers were too close behind him. Aoba could only guess that they had picked up his trail a few days after he had left the café. He had tried to lose them in the forest, but Aoba was inexperienced in the arts of wilderness stealth, and they had briefly caught up to him the day before.

He had his hand clamped to his side, where blood soaked through his shirt. Aoba didn't know what attack had clipped him. He guessed it wasn't a poison attack, the former scientist hadn't noticed any symptoms besides the ones associated with trauma and blood loss.

The afternoon sunlight was being filtered through the leaves, now changing colors. He and Ted would have to-

Ted was deceased, Aoba reminded himself, stepping over a tree root and starting to climb up a steep hill. They would never walk through the autumn woods again.

Another jolt of pain shot through his side. Aoba hissed in pain. Just a month ago he was in love and nearly at peace. Now he was bleeding to death in the woods.

Part of him just wanted to lie down and let death take him. To let the burdens of guilt and fear and shame be lifted by the welcoming darkness, to go and join Ted once more. But another part of Aoba raged against the idea, raged against dying before he at least knew who was hunting him.

It was that part of him that had powered his flight through forest while strange people and pokémon had bayed at his heels, and driven him into a swift flowing river to escape.

Aoba heard noises behind him, but knew from past experience that if it was his pursuers, they would be nearly impossible to see. He forced himself to pick up his pace, lifting leaden legs more rapidly as he ascended the hill.

A lance of fire shot through the space above the former scientist's head, just as he reached the top of the hill. It smashed into a tree branch and a concussive wave of super-heated air blasted forth, snapping the branch and bowling over Aoba.

He pulled himself using another tree and stumbled over the crest of the hill. He caught a glimpse of a pretty blue haired woman in red overhauls kneeling amidst a group of pokémon. There was a bulbasaur glaring at him.

And then his pursuers arrived and there was chaos.

* * *

It had been about a week since Ash and his companions had left Cerulean City, heading south for Vermillion City, skirting around Saffron City.

Summer had finally ended and autumn was just beginning to hit its stride. Leaves were changing into a glorious display of red, yellow, and orange before their impending fall. The heat of summer was gone and the chill of autumn that would eventually lead to winter had started to creep in. Migratory birds and flying types began to head south.

_Ah autumn, when all those flying pests are leaving, _Pikachu sighed happily. _Of course, autumn means you have to hurry up and stockpile for winter and winter's not fun, but at least you don't have to keep an eye on the pichus to make sure some big flying type hasn't eaten them. _

_ Did that happen a lot? _Ash asked in a whisper, letting himself fall behind Brock and Misty.

_Too often, _Pikachu said. _Back when I was with my folks and their group it was my job to keep an eye on the skies when the others were foraging. Too many flying types thought they could sneak in a quick meal on pichus too small to really shock them. _Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks. _Unfortunately for those hungry flying types, I learned how shock them very quickly…. _

_ Huh, _Ash commented. Sometimes he forgot that type advantage wasn't just something that predatory pokémon leveraged to eat other pokémon; prey pokémon could develop a type advantage to defend themselves as well.

They camped near the edge of a cliff overlooking a series of river valleys and canyons. A swift flowing river rushed, gurgled, and splashed below. The three humans, plus Pikachu, sat around a small campfire, watching the sky as the sun finished departing and the stars came out, painting brilliant patterns onto the canvas of the night sky.

"You know Aaron," Brock said out of the blue as they watched the stars, "I don't think you've ever told us about yourself."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"You know, he's right," Misty added, looking over at the younger boy. "I know you started your journey in Pallet Town and sort of assumed you grew up there. Is that right?"

"Uh," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I went to school there last year, but I moved around a lot."

"Where did you live?" Brock asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "And what are your parents like?"

"I lived lots of places," Ash answered, trying to think of an appropriate answer to the second half of Brock's question. "But I was really young, so I don't remember a lot. I know I lived in Violet City for a bit, but I don't really remember it."

"Where else did you live?" Misty asked. "And why did you move so much? Was it because of your parents' jobs?"

The ones who raised Ash had kept him moving because Ash had been hunted and the hunters had already killed his parents.

"I guess," Ash said instead, with a shrug. Strange, uncomfortable, emotions broiled inside of him. Pikachu began to silently nuzzle into Ash's side, relieving some of the tension. Ash reached down and scratched the top of his pokémon's head before continuing. "I also lived in Canalave City, Fortree City, and by Lavender Town."

"What's Canalave like?" Misty asked, leaning forward and letting her chin rest in her hands. "From the things I've heard about it, I'd love to visit it someday."

"It was….." Ash tried to recall what it had been like. He still remembered Jack and Shelly, but the memories of them grew fainter each passing year. "I remember bridges and trees mostly. And lots of water."

"Exactly," Misty said. "Cerulean's nice, but it's not actually a port city, it's just next to a port town. It's a trip to go see the ocean. But Canalave's actually a bunch of islands in the ocean. I could swim everywhere I needed to go…." She finished with a happy sigh.

"What do your parents do for a living?" Brock asked.

"Uhhhhhhh…" Ash had absolutely no clue how to answer this question.

"Let me guess, office work," Misty suggested, unintentionally coming to the rescue.

"I guess," Ash said with a shrug. Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl had never known what his parents had actually done to earn money. He knew that his father had been a pokémon trainer, but didn't know which path is father took to earn money through that, or what his mother had done.

"What was it like getting to move around so much?" Brock asked.

"I didn't like it," Ash admitted, staring into the fire. "My friends couldn't come with."

"Oh," Brock frowned. "Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem. Were there any good things about it though?"

Ash thought back on his memories of city in the trees, of his first encounters with the mountains around Lavender Town, about the sight of the land below as he was carried by Flygirl.

"I got to see cool stuff," Ash answered. "That was good."

"I'm surprised you decided to become a pokémon trainer and leave Pallet Town," Brock said. "Considering that you probably had to leave some friends behind there."

"Yeah, but now that I'm a trainer I can go back anytime," Ash replied with a wide smile. "And I can visit the other places I lived too! And I move when I want to move! And I want to see more new, cool, places!"

"That is a perk," Brock admitted with a wry grin. "I can admit to sharing in a sense of wanderlust."

"Wander-what?" Ash asked.

"The urge to keep moving or exploring," Misty explained.

"Yeah, I guess I've got that," Ash said.

"Wanderlust is nice while we're young, but it can't last forever though," Misty said leaning back and stretching. "What are you two going to do when you feel like settling down? I know I'm going to take over Cerulean Gym and make it a proper gym."

"Open up a ranch," Brock said. "I'll start breeding and raising pokémon."

"I don't know," Ash said, frowning. Ash liked travelling its own sake, and he liked many things that came with travelling, but there was a part of him that embraced travelling because he thought it was a way to keep safe from his hunters.

Which was funny, Ash reflected, because he had gotten into two dangerous encounters with people who weren't hunting him. And despite the fact that Team Rocket had recently come close to killing him, he wasn't nearly as afraid of them at the moment as he was of his first hunters.

Ash briefly wondered why that was, until Pikachu briefly shifted positions to nuzzle Ash's knee. The pokéraised child smiled as he got his answer and gave his pokémon a quick hug.

"Earth to Aaron," Misty said, causing Ash to look back up. "Let me guess, you were lost in thought, thinking about what you're going to do in the future."

"I guess," Ash replied.

"Well, I guess that's to be expected, after all it is unfamiliar territory." Misty commented with a smirk.

_Don't blame the idiot, everyone gets lost in unfamiliar territory, _Pikachu said at the same time.

Ash sighed. He got no respect. And they kept reusing that same joke, over and over again.

"Moving on," Brock said, "what are your plans for the more immediate future?"

"I don't know," Ash said with a shrug. "Earn badges until I can compete in the League Conference. Though I guess I have to wait a year or two for that. How long do people usually take to get all the badges in Kanto?"

"Some people do it in six months," Brock said. "Others take several years. But my advice is that you shouldn't worry about how long it takes other people; you should go at your own pace."

"Okay," Ash replied. He wondered how long it would take him to get all the badges in Kanto.

They sat around making idle conversation as the fire crackled, the river rushed, and the night deepened.

Before they turned in, they heard strange noises off in the distance, but dismissed them as wild pokémon fighting…

* * *

A bipedal orange, lizard-like, pokémon with a small flame at the end of its tail, scrambled through the underbrush, thorns tearing at its skin. Charmander whimpered as he heard people and pokémon crash through the trees behind him.

He wanted to cry. He had been safe at the village earlier today, with all those other pokémon, and the nice lady with blue hair who had found him after Damien had lost- had abandoned him. And then that man with the blue-grey hair had stumbled into the village and then there were all those mean people and mean pokémon and there had been that fight and then he had got lost and then and then and then….

Charmander was hyperventilating in his panic. He tripped over a tree root and tried to scramble forward, but he felt a clawed foot on his back and he was slammed to the ground.

_I got 'em boss, _a raticate said as it held the struggling fire type down.

"Did you get it?" a scarred woman with short brown hair asked. "It looks like you did catch that damn firebug."

Shapes surrounded Charmander. Surely, they were only people and pokémon, but the downed fire type could only see the bottoms of dark pillars, like the forest but now menacing. Claws dug deeper into his back as the raticate tightened its grip.

"Now," the woman said, crouching down to look Charmander in the face. "You're going to lead us to where your little friends are hiding. Or we'll rip out your tongue and gut you. Nod if you understand."

_I don't know where they're hiding! _Charmander squealed. _If I did, I'd be with them. Let me go! _

"Do you think we're not serious you little fire shit?" The woman asked, drawing something that shone in the combined faint light of the moon and Charmander's flaming tail. Charmander felt something sharp prick him under the eye.

"Now, you're going to lead us to where your little friends are hiding. Or I'm going to carve your face like a pumpkin. Do I make myself clear?" the woman said, holding a knife to Charmander's face.

_ I-I- I, _Charmander stammered, not caring that she wouldn't understand him. Terror robbed him of everything except his most basic instincts and he attempted to scramble backwards from the woman with the knife.

He was slammed down into the ground again by the raticate. Charmander went numb with fear, frozen more thoroughly by his terror than any ice attack. The cold painful prick of the knife returned.

"I guess it's time to show you I mean business," the woman said. There was a sharper pain in his face and Charmander could feel hot blood start to leak out beneath his eye. "Should I take this eye? Or the other one?"

_You can take this, _a voice growled from the darkness. Something whizzed through air and the shapes around Charmander scattered. He could hear somethings thud and cut into wood, trees crack and splinter, people and pokémon cry out in pain.

"It's that damn bulbasaur again," the scarred woman growled. "Everyone with a fire type, forward! Light up the area and then burn it!"

Magbies, houndours, growlithes, and a numel moved forward, spitting gouts of fire to illuminate the forest and incinerate the sharp leaves. Bulbasaur stood before them, illuminated by the harsh orange light of the fires, vines lashing out, and firing Razor Leaf after Razor Leaf from underneath his bulb.

"Now, everyone-"

_Attack! _A new pokémon cried out. Pressurized jets of water shot out of the forest behind Bulbasaur. People and pokémon alike were blasted, sent tumbling back into the dark forest bruised and broken.

"Recall your wounded pokémon and retreat," the scared woman ordered. Many of the humans did so, red light flashing as pokémon were returned to their pokéballs. Other humans and their pokémon began to scatter forward into the woods, only to be assaulted by more deadly leaves, and blasts of water. "Don't bother trying to find their trainer!" the scared woman continued. "Have your pokémon cover you and retreat!"

_You're not getting away! _The bulbasaur shouted. Dark brown seeds shot out of its bulb at the scarred woman. But her raticate intercepted, fangs shining in the night. All of the seeds were destroyed or deflected by a flurry of claws and biting fangs.

"Everyone out now!" The woman shouted, keeping an eye on her subordinates. Attacks rained down at her, but she avoided everything that her raticate didn't intercept. Only once her people had retreated did she withdraw, dashing into the night forest, her pokémon close behind.

_Come on, she's getting away! _The hidden voice from earlier shouted out, before emerging from the forest, revealing its owner to be a squirtle with a pair of angular sunglasses perched on its forehead. More squirtles followed him, each of them wearing rounded sunglasses.

_Don't be stupid, _Bulbasaur growled. _They're too fast. If we chase them like this, they'll have time to set up their own ambush. Charmander, are you alright? _The grass type turned to the fire type cowering on the ground. _Charmander? _The bulbasaur rushed over to downed pokémon.

_I'm-I'm-I'm fine, _Charmander managed to stutter, one claw pressing down on the cut below his eye. _You saved me… _

_ 'Course I did, _Bulbasaur replied. _I've never abandoned someone under my protection before and I ain't going to start now. _

_ But now you can start doing it with style! _Squirtle said, sticking up his two inner claws in an approximation of a human 'thumbs up' gesture.

_By the Tree of Life, are you wearing those stupid things at night? _Bulbasaur asked, noticing the sunglasses on the water-types forehead and rolling his eyes.

_It's the squad uniform! _Squirtle defended his nocturnal fashion choice. _It's how everyone can tell that we're the Squirtle Squad! Right Squad? _

_ Right! _Chorused the squirtles behind him.

_Um….. _Charmander began. _Couldn't others just tell you're part of the Squirtle Squad because you're a bunch of squirtles who are always together in a squad? _

_ Don't bother trying to reason with these maniacs, _Bulbasaur sighed as the squirtles began to celebrate their victory with a series of high fives. _I've tried and it ain't never gone anywhere pleasant._

* * *

The pokémon led Charmander back to the cave in the canyon wall, accessible only via a narrow switchback, overlooking the rushing river below. Inside the cave was a large gathering of pokémon, most of them scared and huddled together against the cave walls. There were rattatas, pidgeies, bellsprouts, weepinbells, a staryu, a magikarp, slowpokes, geodudes, caterpies, and a small tauros.

In the center of the cave sat a pretty woman with blue hair and blue eyes, and with bandages on her face and on her left arm. She was tending to a fire, over which a pot steamed. Next to her, shivering in a bed roll, was the man with blue-grey hair.

_We're back! _The lead squirtle shouted as the group entered the cave.

"You're safe," the woman said in a breathless tone. "And you got Charmander! Did anyone get hurt? If you're hurt get over here, so I can treat you."

_Charmander, she means you, _Bulbasaur said, giving the lizard a push with one of his vines.

_Melanie, I'm fine…. Mostly, _Charmander said to the woman, Melanie. And then Bulbasaur's vine pushed him again, this time on the shoulder, spinning the fire type around so that Melanie could see the scratches on his back from the raticate's claws. Bulbasaur then spun Charmander around once more, and placed a vine under the knife wound on Charmander's face.

_This is where he needs treatment, _the grass type said gruffly.

"Come here," Melanie said gently, getting out a piece of cloth and holding it in the steam from the pot. Charmander came over and the human woman began cleaning the fire-type's wounds.

_Have you been taking care of your own wounds_? Bulbasaur asked, gently poking the bandages on her face and arms with his vines.

"For someone who can't talk in a manner that I can comprehend, you are very good at making yourself understood," Melanie replied with a gentle smile. "Don't worry, I changed the bandages while you were out. I may have some light scarring, but I'll make a full recovery."

_Good, _Bulbasaur nodded. He looked around the cave, taking a count of the pokémon there, a task made more difficult by the boisterous squirtles, who had begun to playfight, longue around the cave, and generally make nuisances of themselves.

_Can you control your crowd? _Bulbasaur snarled at Squirtle. _I'm trying to see if anyone's still missing. _

_Ten-hut! Squirtle Squad Assemble! _Squirtle cried out. Instantly the rowdy squirtles assembled into rows before their leader. Bulbasaur then began to take count of the pokémon in the cave.

_Girantia's Gullet, _Bulbasaur swore. _Oddish is still missing. _He turned to the human woman and began a series of gestures. He tapped his bulb, curled one of his vines into a small ball, and then made a high-pitched squeak.

"Caterpie-no, Oddish?" Melanie asked. "You haven't found her yet?"

_No, _Bulbasaur said, shaking his head. He turned on the spot, stalking over towards the cave entrance. Before he could leave, he felt a paw on his front shoulder.

_You can't go out now, _Squirtle said. _My crew's all tired and you don't know where the enemy is. _

_ Oddish is small, timid, and probably frightened out of her little head! _Bulbasaur shot back, half turning to face the water type. _She was never a wild pokémon! She needs help! I've had a lot of enemies, but they never stopped me from helpin' before and I ain't about to let them start doing so now! _

_ Oh, you complain about us being rowdy, but it's fine when you're rearing to go, _Squirtle retorted. _Look, I know we've only been in this village a week, but we do like all the pokémon here. And the blue-haired human. Not so sure about the guy who just arrived though….. _

_ He's not important right now, _Bulbasaur growled. _Melanie can take of him while I search for Oddish. _

_ And who will take care of you if you get ambushed out there? _Squirtle protested. _Oddish isn't stupid, she'll find a tree and sleep under the roots._

_ You don't know that! _

_ And you don't know if you can even find Oddish tonight! _Squirtle shot back throwing up his arms. _You need to stay here and guard the pokémon who are already here! _

_ You- That ain't- I- What do you- Grrrr….. _Bulbasaur growled. _You know, for someone who acts so stupid it ain't right that you can act so smart when it's inconvenient…._

_ Well someone has to think ahead, _Squirtle replied. _And not just in the middle of a fight. _

_ Fine, I'll stay, _Bulbasaur muttered. _But first thing in the morning we're setting out and we're going to find Oddish! _

_ Fine, fine, fine, _Squirtle said, leading the grass type back into the cave. _Now if you'll follow me, we can get that hot-foot of yours looked at. The one you thought I didn't see. _

_Egg of Mew, you can only be observant when it's obnoxious, _Bulbasaur growled again. _It's only a little burn. _

_ We'll let Melanie be the judge of that, _Squirtle smirked.

"Bulbasaur," Melanie scolded when Squirtle showed her the burn on Bulbasaur's foot, "you should have come to me sooner. Burns needed to be treated right away."

Bulbasaur just rolled his eyes while the blue haired woman cleaned his wounds. His gaze settled on the man in the bedroll, shivering in fever. When Melanie finished tending to his own wounds, she noticed Bulbasaur's gaze.

"I haven't gotten his name yet," she told the grass type. "That's not to say he's been quiet. He keeps calling out for someone named Ted and asking for their forgiveness."

_He should be asking us for our forgiveness, _Bulbasaur growled.

"I hope that was something comforting," Melanie said, laying her hand on Bulbasaur's head and gently rubbing it. "Because we have no idea who he is or why he wants forgiveness. We've both…. experienced the character of the people chasing him. We can't be sure that he's a good man, but if the people chasing him are so bad, then, well, I'd say that's a testament to his character."

_Well, I had comrades say you could always judge the quality of a human by the measure of their enemies, _Bulbasaur said. _But I don't think things work so neatly. _

"You know I can't understand you," Melanie replied with a gentle smile. And then she sighed.

_I'm worried about Oddish too, _Bulbasaur said morosely.

"If you're guessing that I'm worried about Oddish, then you're correct," Melanie said. "I hope she's alright."

_She'll be fine! _Squirtle interjected, giving Melanie his version of thumbs up and patting her back.

"Thank you," the blue haired woman told the water-type with a wan smile. She sighed again. "I always knew I might have to worry about poachers or greedy trainers. I even thought about setting some traps. But I never expected anything like this….."

_Don't worry, I'll protect you, _Bulbasaur said gently, nuzzling the blue haired woman.

_**We'll**__ protect her you mean, _Squirtle said, clapping Bulbasaur on the bulb.

_Yeah! _His squad chimed in together.

_Go to sleep you lot, _Bulbasaur growled. _We're going looking for Oddish first thing in the morning. And I ain't going to be showing any mercy to idiots who stayed up all night! _

"I can't understand what you're saying," Melanie said, still gently rubbing Bulbasaur's head. "But it's nice that you are all getting along."

* * *

It was midmorning when Ash and his friends broke camp and set out once more. They paused by the edge of the canyon, where the forest receded. Ash got out a map and then Brock and Misty started arguing about which direction was the correct way to go. Ash rolled his eyes, used the sun to figure out the cardinal directions, and then began to plot his current location on a map.

_I thought the pokégears came with some sort of map thingy, at least according to all the ads on TV, _Pikachu said, standing by his trainer's leg, while Ash navigated. _Couldn't they just use that? _

_ I heard them talking about a service interruption yesterday, _Ash said. _I'm pretty sure that the pokégears aren't working right now. Though, I'm not sure they'd use them if they were working. _

_ Why not? _Pikachu asked.

_I think it's a pride thing, _Ash said. _I heard a bunch of kids at school talking about how they wouldn't need pokégears to get around. _

_ So, they'll just get lost instead? _

_ I guess, _Ash replied with a shrug.

_Humans are sooo stupid, _Pikachu said. _You're just lucky that you're all so big, helpless, and cute. _

_ If you say so, _Ash said, matching landmarks to the map.

_Wait a minute, you don't use a pokégear? _Pikachu asked.

_I don't have a pokégear. _

_ But Brock and Misty do, _Pikachu pointed out. _Or Misty did, did she ever say if she got a new one? _

_ I don't know, _Ash said, taking a look at the river in the canyon below.

_The point is at least one of them has a pokégear and I don't remember you ever asking them to use that to navigate before, _Pikachu finished. _You're just as stupid as they are. _

_ Well….. Flygirl, Pocket Watch, and Poison Lance spent so long teaching me this stuff, _Ash replied. _And then there were those lessons at school. It feels like a waste not to try and use them._

_ You- _One of Pikachu's ears started twitching. _Wait, do you hear that? _

_ No, _Ash said, quickly putting away the map. _Where's it coming from? _

_ That way, _Pikachu pointed back into the forest behind them.

"Pikachu's heard something," Ash said, interrupting Brock and Misty's argument.

"Great," Brock said, grabbing a pokéball. "Spread out everybody. Make sure to cover each other."

"On it," Misty said, grabbing a pokéball of her own.

_Uh, I never said it sounded dangerous, _Pikachu spoke up. Ash winced. It was too late to convey that now.

_Bulbasaur! Big brother! Bulbasaur! Squirtle! Bulbasaur! _Some small voice was shouting and getting closer. A small oddish stumbled out of the woods, scratched and blemished. It took one look at the assembled humans, squeaked, and tripped over its own feet trying to run away.

"Oh," Misty, putting her pokéball away. "It's hurt."

"We should help it," Ash said.

"I agree," Brock said, putting away his pokéball and reaching into his bag for a potion.

_Stay back, stay back, _Oddish screamed, trying to scuttle away.

"Pikachu, can you….." Ash tried to figure out how to phrase his request, but Pikachu didn't need any further instruction.

_It's okay, they're not going to hurt you, _Pikachu said. _I mean not on purpose. I know my trainer and the girl are very stupid, and I have my suspicions about the other human, so they might do something dumb. But they'll at least __**try **__and help you. _

Oddish had quit screaming and started looking at Pikachu like he was crazy. Ash tried to keep his expression neutral while his pokémon talked.

Misty was the stupid one after all, not him. She was the one who tried to send him away to fight that tyranitar by herself!

"It's times like these I wish I could understand pokémon," Brock sighed.

Ash thought that he should be careful what he wished for.

_Look, if they were going to hurt you, they would have had me shock you by now, _Pikachu said. Brock had gotten the potion out of his pack. _See, they've got a potion. _

_ You're not- you're not with the bad humans? _Oddish asked.

_They're pretty good, despite being so stupid, _Pikachu said with a smile. Ash had to focus to stop his eye from twitching.

_Okay, _Oddish sniffed. She cautiously went over to Pikachu and followed him over to Brock. Brock began to apply the potion, spraying it on Oddish's wounds. The grass type squirmed under the stinging spray, but didn't run away.

"It's young," Brock said as he examined the oddish. "I can't tell if it's a wild pokémon or a trained pokémon. Do you have a trainer?"

_No, _Oddish shook her head, or rather body.

"A human then?" Brock continued.

_Yes! _Oddish said, rocking back and forth in a nod.

"Are you lost?" Brock continued his inquiry.

_Yes! _Oddish said with another combination of rock and nod.

"We should help it find it's human," Ash, Misty, and Brock said in unison. They shared a quick glance with each other before turning back to the oddish.

"Do you know which direction your human is in?" Misty asked the grass-type gently, going down to one knee next to it.

_No, _Oddish said, looking at its feet and twisting itself to shake its head.

"Is it on the other side of the canyon?" Misty asked, still gentle.

_No, _Oddish said, shaking again.

"It's good at these yes-no sessions," Brock commented. "It definitely has spent some time around humans."

Ash just shrugged.

"Does your human live near the canyon?" Misty continued asking the oddish yes-no questions until everyone had an approximate idea of where they should start looking for the Oddish's human.

Pikachu hopped on Ash's head and then patted the human's shoulder.

_You can ride here, _he told the grass type. _This idiot won't mind at all._

_ Okay, _Oddish said, and then used her vines to climb up Ash and joined Pikachu on his shoulders.

_Now onwards my human steed! _Pikachu exclaimed, patting Ash's head.

"Awwww….." Misty cooed. "He's looking after his new friend."

Ash, who knew what Pikachu was actually doing, barely managed to suppress his grimace.

* * *

AN:

This chapter is unbeta'd, so it gets released early.

As a warning, I will not be releasing a chapter next week. I want some more time to polish and expand the current arc, so I'll be releasing on the 18th or 19th instead of the 12th.

Don't forget to review.


	18. Chapter 18

Ash and his companions wandered into the forest, letting the oddish shout as they went. Ash wondered what the bulbasaur that she called her brother was like. And if he was her brother by blood or adoption. And if that even mattered in the end.

The sun ascended to its highest position and then began to fall as they traveled. Ash made sure to remember the direction that they had come from, so it would be easier to find their way back after they had dropped Oddish off. The forest was quiet, with barely any birds or flying types. The pokémon trainers started to grow tense.

On previous days, when they had been travelling through this forest, it had been lively with flying types and small pokémon. Now they were gone. Ash wished that he could find a local wild pokémon and grab a few minutes alone with it, to ask it about what had happened.

They started travelling into some highlands. Roots and branches impeded their way as the forest grew thicker. Once Brock thought he saw some burns on a tree, but lost sight of it and couldn't find it again to confirm what he had seen.

Eventually they reached the top of a hill and what they saw there made them stop.

"What happened here?" Misty asked, immediately grabbing her pokéballs.

"A battle," Brock said, grabbing his own pokémon.

Ash looked around. There was a small collection of smashed buildings, surrounded by scorch marks and gouges in the ground. Leaves lay scattered all about. Ash tried to pick one up and yelped in surprise when he cut his finger.

"These are Razor Leaves," Brock said, crouching down to examine the foliage. "This was definitely a battle."

_The bad people came, _Oddish said in a small voice from by Ash's ear. _Big brother and the others fought them. I got scared and ran away. _

"Go Pidgeotto! Go Butterfree!" White light blazed and Ash's other pokémon were hovering by his sides. "Pidgeotto, go keep an eye out!"

"Good thinking Aaron," Brock said with a nod. "Go Geodude! Be ready to defend us." More white light blazed and Geodude stood at the ready.

"Right, Starmie, Staryu, get ready to blast away," Misty said, sending out her pokémon.

"Is this where your human lived?" Misty asked Oddish, who hopped down off of Ash's shoulder.

_Yes, _Oddish said with a rock of her body or a nod of her head. _Melanie! Where are you? Bulbasaur! Where are you, big brother? _

"We need to search for bodies," Brock told his human companions. The three humans began to search the wreckage, looking for bodies. They found domestic items, such as pots and pans. They found packets of dried plants and medicine. They found crushed food and medical implements. They found clothing thrown to the wind and dirtied. They found rakes and other gardening equipment trampled and broken. They found knickknacks and decorations scattered and shattered.

But there were no bodies. No dead people or pokémon. They found bloodstains, some human, and some pokémon according to Ash's pokédex, but no bodies. Brock and Misty looked somewhat relieved when the three of them came to that conclusion, but Ash grew pale.

If there were no bodies, Ash realized, then the inhabitants could have been captured. Stolen away by hunters…...

"Well, it looks like your human got away," Brock said, kneeling down to look at Oddish. "Do you know where they might have gone?"

Oddish indicated that she did not. Brock sighed.

"This will take a while," he said.

They searched for another half-hour, looking for any clues as to what had happened, or where the participants of the battle had gone. They found more wreckage and signs of battle, but nothing about the people.

Pidgeotto, who had been circling overhead while they searched, gave a sudden squawk of alarm and dove down.

_We've got incoming, _she shouted, landing next to Ash. She gestured out into the forest. _They're coming from over there!_

"Geodude up front," Brock commanded, pointing in the direction that Pidgeotto had indicated. Geodude leapt in front of the group, growling in anticipation.

"Get ready to shield," Misty told her pokémon as they took a position behind geodude.

"Aaron, get Pidgeotto to tell you if there were any water, grass, or fighting types." Brock said. "Everyone get ready." The humans and their pokémon moved forward, forming a wall in front of Oddish.

_There were, _Pidgeotto said instantly.

_Make sure to nod! _Pikachu told her. _He's not supposed to be able to understand you, remember? _

_ Right, _Pidgeotto said and nodded.

"There are," Ash told Brock.

"Grass or water?" Misty asked.

_Both, _Pidgeotto said with another nod.

"I think both," Ash said.

"Aaron, try to stay behind us," Brock told the youngest human in the group. "Misty-"

Before Ash could protest, or Brock could finish giving out commands, pressurized jets of water blasted out from the trees around the battle site. Ash tried to duck, remembering how deadly water type attacks could be.

Ice creaked and roared as Starmie and Staryu erected a half-dome in front of the group. The water attacks hit the curved surface and splashed over it as if they were no more than streams from a gardening hose.

_Incoming! _Pikachu shouted, electricity buzzing. Tendrils of yellow power reached out to either side of the group. Ash saw small green shapes be caught up in Pikachu's attack and incinerated.

Given what they had seen earlier, it was probably a Razor Leaf attack.

"Geodude, use Dig. Hit the biggest pokémon they've got and then get back here." Brock ordered quietly. The rock type dived into the ground and burrowed down under the ice dome. "They'll probably try and flank us, so get ready." Brock spoke again, this time to his human companions.

"Got it," Ash nodded. "I'll take the left side."

Brock grimaced, but he nodded anyway.

"Fine," Brock nodded. "I'll save Onix as a surprise if they rush us on the right."

"Butterfree, Pidgeotto," Ash said quietly. "Get ready to use Sleep Tornado." Sleep Tornado was combination of Gust and Sleep Powder that Ash had made his pokémon practice. High winds were a suboptimal method of delivery for the slumber inducing dust, but it did allow said dust to get places it couldn't before.

More leaves cut through the air, curving around Misty's ice dome. Pikachu intercepted them again, buzzing electric power burning them out of the air. Ash caught a glimpse of something blue moving in the forest on their left side.

"Now!" He shouted. Pidgeotto and Butterfree flapped their wings in unison, unleashing a sparkling Sleep Powder attack into the winds of a Gust attack. The sparkling windstorm in miniature raced into the tree line leaving a trail of glittering Sleep Powder over grass and leaves.

_Squirtle Squad scatter! _Ash heard some pokémon shout from the forest. He caught more glimpses of blue shapes moving, racing out of the way of the attack. He couldn't tell if the attack had gotten any of them.

_Our turn! _A pokémon shouted from their right side. Razor sharp leaves and jets of water came out of the trees again.

"Again!" Misty cried out. And once more her pokémon erected a half dome of ice to intercept and deflect the water attacks.

There was more commotion from within the trees. It was probably Geodude making himself known. Two blue shapes came flying out of the forest, squirtles, and from the looks on their faces, their flight wasn't by choice.

"Go Onix!" Brock shouted, releasing his pokémon to attack the squirtles.

And then Geodude came flying out of the forest, with a shocked expression on his face. Rocky fingers dug into the ground as Geodude arrested his momentum and come to a stop in front of Brock. The squirtles fell to either side of him. They stirred weakly, but didn't get up.

Onix reared up, ready to lunge forward at Brock's command and crush the exposed squirtles. Pikachu stepped in front of Ash, cheeks sparking. Misty and her pokémon watched everyone's back. Everything was still and Ash could feel a tension in the air as everyone waited for the next move.

"Stop this now!" A woman's voice shouted from the forest. "Everyone quit fighting!"

_What-_

_ Hey now-_

_ Melanie it's not safe- _

A blue haired woman in red-overalls, with bandages on her face and arms, strode out of the forest. Her face was drawn up in a scowl and her fists were at her sides. A bulbasaur ran out of the forest after her, it's expression in the middle of switching from anger to surprise and settling on exasperation. A squirtle in angular sunglasses followed close behind.

_Melanie! Big brother Bulbasaur! _Oddish shouted, running out from the middle of Ash's group to meet the woman.

"Oddish!" Melanie said, her expression softening as she knelt down to sweep the grass type up in a hug. "You're safe!" She looked over at Ash and his friends, who had cautiously crept around the edge of Misty's ice dome. "Thank you so much for finding Oddish!"

"I'd say 'you're welcome'," Misty said. "But who are you and why did you attack us?"

"**I **didn't attack you," Melanie said, giving a reproachful look at the bulbasaur and squirtle who had followed her, "Certain hotheaded pokémon attacked you."

More squirtles filtered out of the forest to stand by her. They all were wearing sunglasses like the first, but their eyewear was rounded instead of angular. The sheepishly filed behind the squirtle with angular sunglasses.

_They had Oddish and they were poking around here, _the bulbasaur said. _Why would they be doing that unless they're the people who attacked us? _

_ And they could've used Oddish as a hostage unless we took them by surprise… which I guess we failed at because of that pidgeotto, _the squirtle added.

"You two both know that I can't understand you and even if I could, I wouldn't want to hear your excuses right now," the woman scolded. "We'll talk about this later." She turned back to Ash and his friends and bowed. "My name is Melanie. I run- ran, a sanctuary for wounded and abandoned pokémon."

"I'm Misty," Misty introduced herself, returning the bow.

"I'm Aaron," Ash said, following Misty's example.

"I'm-I'm Brock," Brock followed suit, face turning red. "It's good to meet you." Ash wondered what was going on with him.

Melanie looked over Oddish carefully, looking at her scrapes at cuts.

"Already healing- Did you use a potion on her?" Melanie asked.

"Yes," Brock answered, speaking quickly for some reason. "Is that an issue? Is she on any medications? Do you need the specific details of the potion- "

"No, it's fine, don't worry about it," Melanie said, waving away his concerns. "How much did it cost? I can pay you back-"

"It's fine. I just wanted to help the pokémon." Brock said, growing redder. "It was nothing."

"No, I insist. It wasn't your pokémon and did your best to take care of it." Melanie replied. "The least I can do is pay you back."

"No, no" Brock and Melanie got into a gentle argument about whether or not Brock should be compensated for the potion he used on Oddish. Misty looked at Brock's face, which was steadily growing redder, and smirked. She caught Ash's eye, pointed at Brock, then Melanie, and then made a heart shape with her fingers.

Ash titled his head in confusion. Was she trying to say that Brock was having _cardiovascular_ (Ash didn't know the human word) issues? Or that Melanie was having those issues?

When she saw Ash's expression, Misty rolled her eyes and sighed in disgust. The two humans returned their attention to the argument.

"And you did your best to bring Oddish back," Melanie was saying. "I can at least pay you back for the time and effort."

"We were just helping a pokémon in trouble," Brock replied, face very red. "Basic human decency shouldn't have a price tag."

"I know how you can pay us back," Misty interjected. "Can you tell us what happened here?" She gestured at the wreckage and the signs of battle.

"There was an… accident," Melanie said.

"Right….." Misty drawled, looking around again at the damage. "An accident that required a lot of Razor Leaves?"

"Well, as you've seen today, Bulbasaur is quite quick with those leaves," Melanie said, smiling in a way that struck Ash as odd.

"And the burns?" Misty asked.

"I was cooking something at the time," Melanie replied, smile growing tighter. "When the accident happened, everyone panicked. Things got out of control."

"I'll say," Brock commented, face no longer red. "Maybe we could help you rebuild? Or we can at least help you salvage what you can from here."

"That's quite alright," Melanie said. "I think you've done enough already."

_Can we just beat them up already?_ The squirtle in angular sunglasses asked.

_Or we can take them captive, just to be safe, _Bulbasaur suggested. _Come on they won't be expecting it. _

_ I can hear every word you're saying you know, _Pikachu told them.

_Oh, yeah, and what are you gonna do about it? _The squirtle wearing angular sunglasses asked. _If you get angry with us your trainer will probably think you're still mad about the battle. _

_ And do you really want to try and fight us? _Onix asked in his deep rumbling voice.

_Bring it on rock-face, _Squirtle shouted. _You might think that you're too big and tough for type-advantage to matter, but we'll get through eventually. _

_ You're not the only water types here, _Starmie said. _Or did you forget about us? _

_ What it said! _Staryu added.

_I'll deal with you two if it comes down to that, _Bulbasaur growled.

_And I'll deal with you! _Pidgeotto growled right back.

_Umm…. I don't think our trainers want us to fight…. _Butterfree hesitantly said.

_Melanie's not our trainer! _Squirtle shouted.

_She's a nice human who takes care of us! _Another squirtle cried out._ Trainers are worthless jerks who throw away pokémon! You'll learn that soon enough! _

_ While our idiot has and will do many stupid things, he'll never throw us away, _Pikachu said in a low voice. Sparks began to cascade from his cheeks. _And I don't like your tone. _

"What's gotten into them?" Brock asked, observing the pokémon snarling and growling at each other.

"Uh," Ash said. "I'm guessing that the squirtles and bulbasaur were talking about what to do to us and our pokémon got mad about whatever they were saying. I mean I can't think of any other reason my pokémon would get so mad. Can you?"

"There are probably several other reasons why our pokémon might-"Brock began but Melanie was already moving, turning around and stalking over to the water types and grass type to give a glare to the squirtles and bulbasaur.

"Is that true?" She asked them. "Were you planning to do something to these nice people?"

_Yes, but, _Bulbasaur began, but wilted under her glare. _Sorry Melanie. _

_ I think we're in trouble, _the squirtle in angular sunglasses whispered to him.

"We're going to have to talk about this, Bulbsaur, Squirtle," Melanie continued, before turning back to Ash, Brock, and Misty. "I would like to thank you again for taking care of Oddish. But there's nothing else you can help me with here."

"We found bloodstains while we were investigating what happened here," Misty said. "And we were able to confirm that some of them were human. If our pokégears were working, we would have already called the police."

"If that was honestly what you were going to do, then I wish you could have done it," Melanie said, drawing back and looking grave. "I think that you are good people. Your treatment of Oddish speaks to that. But that is not enough for me to trust you. I have more than myself to worry about."

"What if you had a hostage?" Brock suggested. "Do you have any person or pokémon who's wounded? I'm not a doctor, but I've got some medical training-

"As do I," Melanie interrupted, face neutral.

"And I've got some supplies that you might not have," Brock said. "If I leave my pokémon here, you could take me to where your wounded are and I can help-"

"And what would stop you from revealing the location of these hypothetical wounded once you're done?" Melanie asked. "Or do you intend to be a permanent hostage?"

"No," Brock answered, turning red again.

"Damn romantics," Misty angrily muttered under her breath. "As soon as they see a pretty person of their preference, all sense goes right out the window. If I wanted to deal with this shit I woulda stayed home."

"I'm pretty sure you were attacked, sometime last night I'd guess," Brock said, face growing less red again. "Do you think that we're with the people who attacked you?"

"No, I do not," Melanie replied. "But that doesn't mean that I can afford to trust, given the burdens I have, either."

"Do you know why you were attacked?" Brock asked. "Can you tell us that at least?"

Melanie hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It wasn't us who were attacked exactly. There was a man who quite literally stumbled across us. He was being pursued by the people who then proceeded to attack us. Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad managed to fight them off long enough for me and the other pokémon to escape."

"I'm guessing that the other pokémon are why you don't trust us?" Brock asked.

"Correct," Melanie nodded. "Though I am curious as to why you're so insistent on helping me."

"Well, I-"And there was Brock growing red again. Ash found it really confusing.

"He was with the Pewter City gym and I'm with the Cerulean gym," Misty said, coming to Brock's rescue. "Things like this used to be our actual jobs."

"Are you a gym trainer?" Melanie asked. "You seem awfully young."

"What are you implying?" Misty asked with a scowl.

"Nothing," Melanie said holding a hand up. "My apologies, I meant no offense. I was just surprised. What about, Aaron, was it? Are you with a gym as well?"

"No," Ash replied. "I'm just a trainer."

"Why do you want to help?"

"Because I don't want anyone to be hunted." Ash told her. "But I don't think there's any way you're going to let us help you."

Ash knew that she couldn't afford to trust them, just as Poison Lance and Pocket Watch had decided that they couldn't afford to trust any humans when they had decided to raise him themsevles. Even if the course they had chosen wasn't the best, even if it made things harder for everyone involved, the risk was simply too great to trust anyone else. For Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl in the past and for Melanie in the present.

"I'm afraid that you're correct Aaron," Melanie said with a sad smile. "Again, I thank you for helping Oddish. But I'm afraid we're going to have to go now."

"I'm sorry that we couldn't help you more," Brock said. Melanie nodded and then turned and left. Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad followed.

Nobody said anything for a moment and then Brock sighed.

"Pretty, determined, brave, and principled," he breathed, clasping his hands together in front of his chest. "My poor heart can't take it."

"Neither can your poor brain," Misty said, giving Brock a sidelong glance. "Offering yourself up as hostage? Really? Or were you hoping that it would be the sexy sort of 'hostage'?"

"Shut up you," Brock looking at the ground and his face growing redder yet again. Ash wondered how his face kept it up. "I was trying to think of some way to get her to trust us so that we could help her. That was all."

"Sure, it was," Misty drawled.

"I didn't see you doing anything to help," Brock shot back.

"Yeah, well," Misty frowned. "I couldn't think of anything that would've helped."

"Nothing would have made her, uh," Ash, rubbed the back of his head with one hand, trying to think of the best way to phrase what he was thinking, "want to take our help, I guess? Even if she's in trouble now, if she trusted us and we did something wrong, well, then there's no hope."

"You're right," Brock sighed. "Well, now what do we do?"

"Well, even if she won't accept our help, we can stick around in case we can still find some way to help her," Ash said.

"That's a good idea, except for the 'we' part," Brock said. "Did we ever figure out which pokémon center was the closest?"

"There's the Yi-Lin Memorial Pokémon Center, some days from here," Misty said. "Why?"

"I need you to take Aaron there and call for backup," Brock told her. "I'll stay here and-"

"No way!" Ash shouted.

_And here we go, _Pikachu said rolling his eyes.

_Oh, are Ash and Misty going to argue about who gets to go into danger again? _Pidgeotto asked.

_But this time Brock's getting in on it! _Butterfree trilled. _I want to see if this changes anything. _

_ I'm not sure what this is about, _Onix rumbled to Geodude, _and I'm not sure I want to know either. _

_ Well, hopefully this time he'll just run away instead of running back, _Starmie said to Staryu.

"We have evidence of a violent battle here and there's a high probability of another violent battle in the near future," Brock turned around so that he was facing Ash. "You need to get to safety!"

"I've already been in violent battles," Ash protested. "And I'm going to try and help that lady."

"I'll admit you did good in those other fights," Brock admitted. "But you also got very lucky."

"Good nothing, he was an idiot!" Misty shouted, glaring, fists at her sides.

_She agrees with me! _Pikachu cheered.

"You were the idiot first!" Ash shouted, turning to face Misty.

"Listen here you shrimp-"

"That's all beside the point," Brock interrupted. "Aaron, you haven't been trained for this. You haven't trained your pokémon for this. You need to get to the nearest pokémon center where it's safe-"

"Oh, now you're wearing Misty's bossypants," Ash shot back. "All you gym people are McBossypantses."

"I don't even know what-"Brock began.

"And you're a stupid shrimp!" Misty growled at Ash, getting in the shorter boy's face, fists clenched. "If you weren't so stupid, you wouldn't need people telling you what to do."

"No, you McBossypantses just like telling people what to do!" Ash shouted back, leaning forward to meet Misty's glare. "Besides, Oak asked you to uh-company me on **my **journey and I think I'll stick around here. I'll look for some pokémon that want to come with me. It might take a while!"

"You can be an absolute brat; did you know that?" Brock asked. Ash just stuck his tongue out at the former gym leader.

"Can you think of any way to force him to go?" Misty asked, rubbing her forehead. "Because I can't. I can't get away with freezing him to Starmie again, not that it worked so well the first time."

"No, I can't," Brock grumbled. He sighed. "Fine Aaron you win. You're going to get the chance to get into another dangerous situation."

* * *

A half yellow, half black pokémon, with two bulbous horns, and a tail that looked like a second head, a girafarig, sniffed along the forest floor as the sun began to set. Accompanying it was a man with shoulder length black hair, and brown eyes. Next to him walked a scarred woman and her raticate.

"This is all my fault," the man sighed.

"You're too hard on yourself Dave," the scarred woman replied. "If anything, this is my fault for not being able to crush that bulbasaur and those squirtles last night."

"Aki, the only reason you encountered them is because I didn't manage to poison the right person," Dave said. "I got the target's lover instead of the target."

"Because the target's lover decided to randomly switch mugs that day!" Aki shot back. "You couldn't have seen that coming. It was a perfect operation in all other respects. Even though the bosses moved up the deadline you still made it look like natural causes-"

"Not for very long, given that the target fled after a couple of days," Dave replied bitterly.

"The target was the only one in the village who could've figured out it was poison in the first place!" Aki shot back. "And it's not your fault that they decided to swap mugs that day."

"I should have had a backup plan," Dave muttered.

Aki rolled her eyes. "You perfectionists. Fine torture yourself. What do I care?" She asked with a shrug.

They continued on in silence for several more minutes, following the girafarig. Eventually they came to the edge of the forest, just before the edge of the canyon.

_It's over there, _the girafarig said, pawing the ground and pointing across the canyon with her nose.

"Girafarig, is this the end of the trail?" Dave asked.

_No, _Girafarig shook its head.

"Does it continue over the canyon?"

_Yes, _Girafarig nodded.

"Good job Girafarig," Dave said, taking out a pokéball. "Now return."

With Girafarig recalled the two humans crept up to the edge of the canyon and peered at the other side.

"Odor Sleuth's good, but not good enough to smell them over a canyon unless they're by the edge," Dave said, eyes scanning the other side. "Even with the lucky winds we've been getting."

"So, they should be somewhere nearby, got it," Aki said, also looking over at the other side of the canyon. "Raticate do you see anything?" Her pokémon shook his head.

"If they've got any brains then it's not going to be obvious," Dave said.

"Depends," Aki said, pointing. "That switchback. It looks like it leads to a cave. I'm betting they choose defensible over hidden."

"Stupid of them," Dave said. "But I guess we might not be dealing with experts here."

"It's too bad that our target stumbled over them," Aki sighed. "We would have probably had to kill his lover eventually. Maybe even arrange an accident for their whole village, depending on what the psychics we have coming pick up. But this woman and her pokémon were completely uninvolved."

"Still," Dave replied, "the boss doesn't want the information the target has getting out."

"According to the briefing the target hadn't been spreading the information in the first place," Aki explained. "But now that he's on the run who knows what's going on in his head."

"It's too bad," Dave sighed again. "Well, at least we'll get some useful pokémon out of this."

* * *

_I'm actually surprised that you're doing this, _Pikachu said.

It was evening and the sun was vanishing behind the horizon. Ash and his companions had set up camp for the night in a clearing on another hill where they could keep an eye on much of the surrounding forest. They would be keeping watch throughout the upcoming night to see if Melanie and her pokémon got into another fight.

Ash and Pikachu lay by the edge of the clearing while Brock tended to the fire and Misty tended to her pokémon.

The sun had just begun to set, painting the sky in orange and red, and casting long shadows everywhere. Night's chill had begun to creep in and Ash half-heartedly wished he had a blanket with him. Everything was silent as the sun sunk away.

_Why? _Ash asked, rolling over to look at his pokémon.

_I remember your reaction to what happened with Team Rocket in the Viridian Forest, _Pikachu said. _I thought you would be trying to get everyone to run away first instead of trying to stick around and fight. _

_ What? Do you think I'm some sort of coward? _Ash asked with clenched teeth and a glare.

_I think you have an issue with being hunted, _Pikachu calmly replied.

Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Even now Ash was haunted by thoughts of his hunters, imaginings from his subconscious from a time he couldn't recall. They were humanoid and yet had inhuman monstrous shapes. They were tall and they were always reaching, grasping, seeking him with clawed hands and long arms. They were veiled in darkness and Ash thought that he could always feel their shadow falling over him, no matter what he did or where he tried to hide.

But even as the distorted recollections chilled him, even as his oldest fears crawled up his spine, Ash felt something else stir within him. It was a sensation that made him want to clench his fists and stand up straight. An urge to never stop no matter the shadows or the monsters. An urge to fight back tooth and nail.

And an urge that stirred him to action when he saw things like the situation of Melanie and her pokémon.

_You're not wrong, _Ash said finally. _ But that's why I want to help. I don't want to let anyone be hunted, person or pokémon. I'll do my best to make sure that other people don't have to worry like I do. _

_ Awwwww, _Pikachu cooed. _That's so brave and adorable. Too bad it's absolutely stupid. _

_ Hey! _

_ Pokémon hunt pokémon all the time all over the world, _Pikachu told his human. _You can't put a stop to that. _

_ I know, _Ash replied, looking at the ground. _But I can at least help the pokémon around me for a little bit. And I know I can help the people even more. _

_ Well, as the pokémon who has to keep you safe, I absolutely hate this! _Pikachu said in a higher-pitched voice than his usual tone, smiling. _But I can't say I hate the qualities that drive you to do this, _the yellow pokémon sighed, voice normal again.

_ That's nice to hear, _Ash said, resting his head on the grass and looking up at the sky.

_You do realize by doing this you'll risk having more things hunting you? _Pikachu asked. _If we stop whoever is hunting that lady, they might want revenge. _

_ Well, I don't think they're as dangerous as my hunters, _Ash replied. _But even if they are, I need to get strong enough to deal my hunters anyway. Besides, don't you think you're awesome enough to handle whoever's out there? _

_ Of course, I am! _Pikachu replied. _But I just know you'll do something idiotic._

* * *

AN:

I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading.

Couple of things:

1.) When I say that Aoba's not an OC, but might as well be one, I meant that I grabbed a scientist NPC trainer, and then used their name, their appearance, and the fact that they're a scientist as a base for Aoba. Everything else I pulled out of my butt. Some of ya'll had some pretty good ideas about him, sorry to disappoint you.

2.) Technically the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga beat me to the idea of having all the starters at Melanie's village. I don't know if I took the idea from there (I read the manga years before starting Symbiosis, and only recently re-read it, so it might have put the idea in my subconscious) or whether I took the idea from the same source the manga might have, namely that the Kanto starters in the anime had shared themes centered around awful trainers. Bulbasaur guards a sanctuary meant for pokemon who had awful trainers to heal, while Charmander had a trainer who was the worst in the anime, and the Squirtle Squad was formed by pokemon where most of them had been abandoned by their trainers.

3.) I might move my release window from Wednesday to Tuesday night or Wednesday. We'll see how things turn out.

Anyway, that's all I had to say.

Don't forget to review.


	19. Chapter 19

Charmander nervously fidgeted by the mouth of the cave. A few squirtles snored next to him. Bulbasaur stood before him, keeping an eye on the entrance of the cave and the path leading down the cliff.

_Umm…. _Charmander began. _Should we wake them up? _

Bulbasaur looked at the squirtles and rolled his eyes. _No, if something comes, we can use their shells as shields. _

_ Isn't that- _

_ If they wanted to object, they shoulda stayed awake, _Bulbasaur told the fire-type.

_That- well- okay, _Charmander said, fidgeting with his front claws, and looking at the ground. _Umm… _

_ What's on your mind, _Bulbasaur sighed.

_It's a stupid question, but….. well….. how did you get so strong? _Charmander asked.

_It ain't a stupid question, but I don't think I can give you an answer that will satisfy you, _Bulbasaur replied after a moment's reflection. _You're asking because you want to become stronger, right? _

_ Well, yeah, _Charmander said, still looking at his feet. _Damian got rid of me because I was weak. Those people nearly got me because I couldn't fight back. And if they find us again, I won't be able to help. _

_Damian was an asshole, it was his job to help you get stronger, _Bulbasaur growled. _And right now, you're under Melanie and I's care. You shouldn't be worried about having to fight those assholes. _

_ Too bad because I am! _Charmander protested. _I- I shouldn't be so weak! _

_ Everyone's weak at some point or another, _Bulbasaur pointed out. _I was when I was younger. The squirtles were too. _

_ But they're not weak now! _

_ And in the future, I'm sure you won't be weak either, _Bulbasaur reassured the fire type. _But for now, don't worry about it. Look, you want to help? When it comes time to move out, stick close to Melanie._

_ Guard her? _

_ Yep. Make sure she doesn't get hurt. _Bulbasaur told Charmander. _Humans are so fragile._

_ Alright I'll- Did you hear that? _Charmander asked, suddenly looking out of the cave. There had been the sound of small rocks falling.

_Yes, _Bulbasaur said grimly. His vines snaked out and shook the sleeping squirtles. They yawned and rubbed their eyes. _Go get your boss, _Bulbasaur told them. _We might have something coming. _

A large round shape dropped down into the cave mouth as the squirtles scurried away. Charmander lashed out with a stream of fire, illuminating the shape as a spherical red and white pokémon, an electrode.

_Get back! _Bulbasaur shouted, vines lashing out to grab Charmander and throw him back into the cave.

_Too late! _Electrode shouted. Tendrils of electricity reached out of its body, seeking the retreating squirtles and Charmander. But Bulbasaur already had more vines in the way. The electric power ran down the vines into Bulbasaur instead of the water types.

_Crap! That always hurts! _Bulbasaur swore before striking back with his vines. Electrode was beat about the face by the green tendrils, with the harsh staccato of a plastic-like substance being drummed sounding out. The electric type was rocked back and forth by the constant impacts.

Bulbasaur then fired off several dark brown seeds at the electric type. Electrode shook itself, recovering from the Vine Whip, and then lashed out with another Thundershock attack, burning up many of the seeds, but a few got through. The seeds erupted into leafy vines, wrapping around the electrode and digging into it.

Bulbasaur glanced around the cave as the leafy vines around Electrode began to glow red. His eyes widened as he saw a small crack in the ceiling and then he jumped backwards.

_Good instincts, _Electrode grunted. With the sharp sounds of cracking rock, a sandslash erupted from the cave roof in a burst of dust. It slashed downwards, aiming at where Bulbasaur had been, while Electrode summoned up more electricity and burned away the Leech Seed attack.

_Of course, there had to be pokémon who can use dig, _Bulbasaur growled.

_Oh, there's plenty of us, _the sandslash said. _You're surrounded. My trainer asked me to offer you a chance to surrender. I suggest you take it. _

_ And what would surrendering entail? _Bulbasaur asked.

_We'll kill the humans and then you pokémon get distributed to the trainers of Team Rocket, _the sandslash answered.

_Ain't happening, _Bulbasaur replied, backing up his response with a volley of Razor Leaves. The sandslash ducked and Electrode blasted the leaves with electricity.

_The cavalry has arrived! _Pressurized jets of water lanced out from behind Bulbasaur. Sandslash quickly dug into the ground and the electrode rolled out of the way, one jet glancing off of his rounded side.

_Some of you get back to Melanie! _Bulbasaur ordered. _They've got more pokémon coming! _

_ Squirtle, Squirtle, and Squirtle, get back there and protect Melanie! _The squirtle with angular sunglasses ordered. Three squirtles followed his command.

Bulbasaur unleashed a barrage of Razor Leaves and Leech Seeds at Electrode, forcing the electric type to defend itself instead of lashing out at the squirtles. Meanwhile the squirtles kept an ear to the ground, listening for the sandslash.

Rocks cracked overhead and the sandslash burst from the ceiling once more.

Orange light flared as Charmander ran forward from where he had been thrown and unleashed a plume of fire upward at the ground-type. The sandslash kicked off the cave wall and spun to avoid the majority of the attack, the remaining flames streaming past and out of the cave mouth. The attack drew a thin orange line into the sky…

* * *

"Everyone get up!" Brock shouted looking at the line of orange light coming from the canyon. "The fun's started!"

"I just got to sleep too," Ash said blearily.

_You're the one who wanted to do this, _Pikachu pointed out, already up and rearing to go. _Now let's go shocks some fools!_

"Where are they," Misty asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Over there," Brock said. "About two o'clock from our position."

"Are you talking about the time or the clock position thingy?" Ash asked with a yawn.

"Relative positioning," Brock said. "Tell your pokémon to get ready. Now, go Onix!"

While light blazed and the stone serpent was released. Brock climbed up its back and then turned to Ash and Misty.

"Get aboard," Brock told the other two humans.

* * *

_There's too many of them! _ A squirtle shouted before being blasted by a Gust attack from a venomoth. The cave was filled with struggling pokémon, squirtles and Bulbasaur attempting to beat back the pokémon who were coming in through the walls and cave entrance.

_Is the back-way open yet? _Bulbasaur shouted over the din, vines reaching out to strangle the venomoth.

_They're still working on it! _Squirtle replied before using the opportunity to blast the immobilized venomoth with a Water Gun attack, smashing its head into the cave wall. Bulbasaur threw away the dead or wounded poison type and got into a fight with a bellsprout that was about to finish off a wounded member of the squirtle squad.

_Regroup! Regroup in back! _Bulbasaur ordered, unleashing a stream of Razor Leaves at the Rocket pokémon, forcing them to duck. The Squirtle Squad used the opportunity to retreat, dragging their wounded and unconscious members back with them. Bulbasaur followed, bringing up the rear, pausing to fire off more Razor Leaves when the Rocket pokémon got too close.

They retreated further into the cave, into a narrow passage that could serve as a bottleneck. Bulbasaur and four squirtles gathered at the end of the passage, firing off long range attacks to keep the Rocket pokémon from proceeding further.

_This will only work until the ones that know Dig get here, _Squirtle pointed out.

_Well, it will slow them down at least, _Bulbasaur grunted out, firing off another brace of Razor Leaves and slitting the throat of a machop that got too close. _Can Tauros hurry up back there? _

_ They've almost got it, _one of the squirtles shouted.

_Everyone get back. I'll hold them off here! _Bulbasaur shouted. _Just watch out for anyone using Dig! _

All of the squirtles, but one, ran back towards where Melanie and Tauros were breaking down one of the rock walls. Bulbasaur glanced back at the one that had stayed, the squirtle wearing angular sunglasses.

_I thought I told you to get back! _Bulbasaur shouted.

_I'm not leaving anyone behind, _Squirtle replied. _It wouldn't be very cool of me. Besides- _He blasted an emerging fissure with a pressured jet of water. There was a scream of pain and a cubone fell out of the wall. Bulbasaur quickly grabbed it and began to slam it against the cave walls. -_this habit of trying to do everything yourself will be the death of you, ya know? _Squirtle finished.

_Erg! Fine! _Bulbasaur shouted, engulfing the cubone in Leech Seeds and then throwing it to the side. _Then they ain't getting past us! _

They fought for what seemed like hours, but was in reality minutes. Bulbasaur cut and beat any pokémon that attempted to go through the passage way. Squirtle blasted any pokémon using Dig to try and get around the walls.

Rocket pokémon were driven back bleeding and broken before the two of them.

_The way's open! _ A squirtle shouted from where the other pokémon and Melanie were sheltered. _Hurry up if you don't want to be left behind! _

_ On it! _Squirtle shouted. _You get going Bulbasaur, I'm faster!_

_ I ain't leaving you behind either! _Bulbasaur protested.

_You won't. Just get running now! _Squirtle shouted before letting loose a Bubble Beam attack. Bubbles flew like bullets, blasting rock walls and pokémon alike. Bulbasaur growled and began to run to the back of the cave.

Soon after Bulbasaur began running something flew over his head, something blue and propelled by a jet of water. It was Squirtle's shell. The water type had withdrawn into said shell so that it could launch itself down the passage way.

Bulbasaur skidded to a halt at the end of the cave, where Tauros had battered down a wall. All the pokémon from Melanie's small village were filing out of the hole. Melanie and the man who had stumbled onto the village were on the back of the Tauros, Melanie making sure the man stayed on.

"Bulbasaur, I think we have everyone," Melanie said. "Do you agree?"

_It looks like it, _Bulbasaur nodded. _Go, go go! _

The two humans and all the pokémon streamed out of the cave into the dark forest beyond. Pokémon like the geodudes and the pidgeys helped carry the pokémon who could run or were slow, like the magikarp and the bellspouts. Melanie on Tauros led the way.

They cleared the cave and charged straight up a hill, tripping and stumbling in the night, dodging around trees lit only by moonlight, and leaving the rushing river at the bottom of the canyon behind them. A caravan of frightened, tired, quivering, and shouting pokémon, led by two humans on a tauros.

And then Melanie and Tauros came to an abrupt stop. All the pokémon skidded to a halt behind her.

People and pokémon stretched out in a large semi-circle before them. Bulbasaur and Squirtle recognized some of them from the previous night when they had rescued Charmander. And this time they had brought friends. Bulbasaur couldn't be sure, but he estimated that there were at least thirty people and maybe fifty pokémon. Too many for Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad to fight.

"Your ambush last night was pretty good," the scarred woman said, stepping forward, her raticate following close behind. "So good that we decided to take a page out of your book."

_No one escapes Team Rocket, _the raticate added.

"What do you want? Why are you doing this?" Melanie asked getting off Tauros and stepping forward, attempting to put herself between the ambushers and the wounded man on the tauros.

"We need to kill him, and unfortunately you," the scarred woman said. "Sorry. It's just bad luck that he stumbled across you and your little village."

"And the pokémon? What are you going to do with them?" Melanie asked. Her manner was stiff, arms at her sides, and standing up straight, but Bulbasaur could see the tiny shakes in her shoulders, and knew that she must be trembling.

"We'll distribute them to our trainers," The woman said told Melanie. "Provided you get them to surrender to us now. Otherwise we'll have to fight them and take the survivors."

Melanie looked at the pokémon. Bulbasaur caught her eye, barely visible under the stars and moon. He knew what she was thinking. He knew that she was thinking that it would be better to surrender and try to spare the pokémon under her care. Even if it meant her certain death.

Bulbasaur shook his head, trying to tell her not to do it. He tried to tell her to fight to survive. To tell her that he would think of a way to save her.

Bulbasaur couldn't let her die. He had to save her.

Melanie smiled at him. Bulbasaur knew that there were tears on her cheeks, even though they were almost invisible in the night. Melanie then shook her head.

"I know that I cannot hold you to your word, but I'll ask for it anyway," Melanie said, turning back to Aki. "Will you promise to spare the pokémon?"

"Yes," the scarred woman said, nodding. "You're surrendering I take it."

"I am," Melanie said. "As long as you swear to spare these pokémon under my care."

"There's no point in killing them when we can use them," Aki said. She and her raticate began walking forward. "If you don't think you can trust our word then you can trust that."

"I'm sorry," Melanie said, turning to Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad. "I wish I could have taken better care of you. I'm so sorry. But please, don't fight."

_I'd rather die in battle then let them take you! _Bulbasaur growled, running forward and planting himself between the scarred woman and Melanie. A chorus of cries sounded out in support.

_ Yeah! _

_ Let's fight 'em! _

_ Take as many of these punks out as you can! _

_ Squirtle Squad Assemble! _Squirtle shouted as he and his comrades joined Bulbasaur.

"Please don't do this!" Melanie begged. "If you surrender you can live and maybe you can be happy again someday. Don't throw away your lives for me!"

"Well, they're making a stupid choice, but I'll commend their loyalty," the scarred woman said. "We'll just kill them, and then you and the man, and then we'll take your other pokémon."

_Bring it! _Bulbasaur shouted, vines coming out. The squirtles stood ready for battle against the long line deadly people and pokémon before them. Dark shapes in the forest, slowing closing in on them.

Bulbasaur grit his teeth as the scarred woman took a step forward, knowing that her words would probably lead to his death and the death of everyone with him.

"Everyone, atta-"The scarred woman began to shout the order to attack, but stopped suddenly. Bulbasaur could see her eyes widen just a tiny amount. She and her raticate turned back to shout at her people behind her. "I'm feeling a tremor. Get some ground types to investigate now!"

_Too late_, a voice boomed from beneath them.

There was a rumble from the ground beneath the feet of everyone gathered and a shaking that everyone could feel through the soles of their feet. The ground cracked open as something large moved through the earth below. Dirt exploded and something huge reared up, scattering the broken bodies of people and pokémon like rag dolls. It towered over everyone in the forest, silhouetting itself against the moon, and then it roared.

Yellow light flared from the shape's back and buzzing, crackling, electricity stabbed into the assembled Rockets. People and pokémon jerked like marionettes, controlled by the streams of electricity coursing through them.

Blue light joined the yellow light. Ice creaked and roared, people and pokémon screaming, as Ice Beams scythed through yet more members of Team Rocket.

And then the large shape was upon them again, moving faster than anything that size had a right too. People and pokémon were crushed underneath, letting out blood-chilling screams as they were crushed.

* * *

"Retreat!" Aki shouted. "Retreat and regroup!" She grabbed several pokéballs from her belt. "Go Scyther! Go Sneasel!" White light blazed in the night as her subordinates began to flee the monster in the darkness. A winged, bipedal bug like pokémon with blades for arms, a scyther, and a small dark blue pokémon with one red ear, a sneasel, stood by her.

"Sneasel, Scyther, it looks like they've got an onix or a steelix," The scarred woman informed her pokémon. "Sneasel hit it with an Icy Wind. Scyther, it's got some trainers on its back. Let's see if we can't distract them so everyone else can escape. Raticate, you're with me."

The four of them took off, running at the dark serpentine shape. The blue lights that were Ice Beams and the yellow flares that were electric attacks were still shining from its back, as the people and pokémon of Team Rocket were blasted.

"Scyther, Double Team and Slash. Raticate Quick Attack into Super Fang." The leader of the Rocket forces ordered. She drew a small crossbow and a large knife from her belt. "Let's do this!"

An illusionary copy of Scyther emerged from her pokémon and both the real Sycther and the copy flew forward. The sped at the shapes on the onix's back, blades raised to Slash them.

White light blazed and there was a sudden tornado blasting the real Scyther even as the copy kept going forward. A pressurized jet of water shot out from the giant's back, piercing the illusion.

Raticate blurred out of sight as it used Quick Attack to get close to the things on the onix's back. But there was a burst of yellow light and Raticate was forced to dodge tendrils of electric power instead of attacking.

"Cancel that Icy Wind," the scarred woman told Sneasel. "Instead we're going to have to use Shrouding Wind. Wait for my mark."

_Ugh, _Sneasel groaned. _It's so tiring. It's like using ten Icy Winds and Dark Pulses at the same time…. _

"Now!" the woman shouted, holding up two pokéballs. Red light lanced out and her other two pokémon were recalled. Sneasel grunted and huffed. A black mist came out of his mouth, with specks of ice twinkling within. A wall of sparkling black fog emerged, separating the large dark shape from the fleeing members of Team Rocket.

"Good job," the scarred woman told her pokémon. "Return." And then Sneasel was recalled as well. Aki took one last look at the battlefield, making sure that everyone who could run had ran, and then took off herself.

* * *

Ash was left trembling as the adrenaline left his system. He took deep breathes, one after another, trying to calm himself.

After using that black mist move the attackers had vanished. His entire part in the fight had taken only a couple minutes, but in the heat of the moment, it had felt much longer.

Ash closed his eyes and then was hit by the fresh memories of people and pokémon screaming as they were crushed beneath Onix. Ash told himself that there had been no choice. Geodude had quietly dug some holes earlier so that the humans could hear what was going on. Ash had heard what they had told Melanie. Ash knew what he and his companions had stopped.

That didn't mean he had to be happy with all the death. He was just glad that Pikachu and Pidgeotto hadn't needed to kill anyone. Pikachu had been going for range instead of power and Pidgeotto had been kept in reserve and had only contributed a Gust attack to the battle.

Onix came to a stop before Melanie and the pokémon accompanying her. There were mutters from the pokémon.

_I recognize that Onix, _one of the squirtles said. _It nearly crushed me earlier today. _

_ Hopefully it's gotten all the crushing out of its system, _another squirtle commented.

"Brock?" Melanie called out hesitantly. "Is that you?"

"Yes," Brock said, leaping down from Onix. Ash and Misty followed suit. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't get hurt," Melanie replied. "What about you? Did any of you get hurt?"

"They didn't manage to touch us," Brock replied. "Right, Aaron, Misty?"

"Not a scratch," Misty answered.

"What about the pokémon, uh, Melny?" Ash asked.

"Melanie," Melanie corrected.

"Right," Ash nodded. "Are any of your pokémon hurt Melanie?"

"I think so," Melanie replied. And then she bowed deeply. "Again, I have to thank you. You saved not only my life, but the lives of all the pokémon here. You came even though I refused your help earlier."

"We get it," Brock said, waving away her apology. "You were worried that we might do something to the pokémon here and you had no way of knowing if you could trust us."

"I think I have a way of knowing now," Melanie said, still bowed.

"Let's just tend to the pokémon," Brock said. "We've got potions. Do you still have any medical supplies?"

"Yes, back in the cave," Melanie said, straightening up. "Though they might have been damaged or stolen."

"We should have enough for now," Misty reassured her. "Come on let's go back."

"Yes," Melanie said. "We can tend to the pokémon there and talk about what happens next. Over tea, because after the events of tonight I desperately need a cup."

* * *

The attackers hadn't bother to destroy or loot the supplies in the cave. The humans tended to the wounded pokémon, giving them potions, cleaning their wounds and bandaging their cuts. Two members of the Squirtle Squad were in critical condition. Brock split a Hyper-Potion between them and worked tirelessly with Melanie to stabilize them.

Meanwhile Misty took care of feeding the pokémon and Ash got some practice in tending to the pokémon with minor wounds. He was sitting in a relatively isolated part of the cave, gently cleaning the scrapes on Bulbasaur, Pikachu lounging nearby.

_ I guess I owe ya'll one, _Bulbasaur grunted to Pikachu as Ash gently applied disinfectant.

_And just think, _Pikachu replied. _Earlier you were talking about beating us up and taking us captive. Feel stupid now? _

_ Well, we hadn't gotten a good measure of that onix yet, _Bulbasaur admitted. _But I'm pretty sure we could've taken the rest of you. _

_ I meant do you feel stupid because if you had managed to do that, then there would have been nobody to save your butts just now, _Pikachu clarified.

_ Well if we had done that, then we wouldn't be having this conversation now, would we, _Bulbasaur shot back.

_Now you're just being stubborn, _Pikachu replied. _Admit it. You feel silly now. _

_ I ain't feeling silly right now, _Bulbasaur responded. _I'm feeling worried because we're going to be attacked again and this time, they'll have a plan for that onix. _

_ And we'll have a plan for them as well, _Pikachu assured the grass type, patting Bulbasaur on the shoulder. _Our trainer is an idiot, but he has some good ideas. _

_ Isn't the basic definition of idiot being someone who can't come up with good ideas, _Ash asked quietly.

_No, it's someone who's full of bad ideas, _Pikachu shot back. _Like you. _

_ Wait a minute! _Bulbasaur exclaimed, turning to Ash. _Did you just speak properly? _

"No," Ash replied. "You're just hearing things."

_Well I am under- wait a minute- _Bulbasaur glared at the human. _You must think you're really funny… _

_ He does, I know, _Pikachu griped. _He did the same thing to me when we met._

_ Well maybe if your first words to me hadn't been an insult…. _

_ You shouldn't have been able to understand the insult! _Pikachu protested. _You should have stood there and been captivated by my adorableness instead! _

_ You have a reaaaaaaal high opinion of your looks don't you? _Ash asked.

_Opinion nothing! You've seen how all the other humans fawn over me, _Pikachu answered.

_ How come you let this loudmouth stay out of his pokéball? _Bulbasaur asked, looking at Ash. _If you kept him in there you wouldn't have to listen to him. _

_ Oh, I'm tempted, believe me, I'm tempted, _Ash said darkly.

_But since I hate pokéballs and I'm the real brains of this operation, he doesn't have a choice, _Pikachu said with a chipper smile.

_I'm sorry that you have to endure such hardship, _Bulbasaur said with a nod.

_Thank you, _Pikachu said in a gracious manner. _It's not easy-_

_ I was talking to your trainer, _Bulbasaur informed the electric type. Pikachu glared at the grass type.

_ I do my best, _Ash said solemnly. _But in all seriousness, he's a pretty good pokémon. _

_ Ah, thanks, _Pikachu said. _And you're not a bad trainer. Wait a minute? _Pikachu turned to Bulbasaur, _do you have something against trainers, or was that just the squirtles? _

_ I ain't got anything against trainers. _Bulbasaur answered. _Never really had one myself, but I worked with them before. _

_ Oh, where? _Ash asked as he finished tying off a small bandage on Bulbasaur's leg.

_In Orre, or at least in an area that was partially in Orre, _Bulbasaur answered. _There was a lot of bad stuff going on that I helped put a stop to. _

_ Orre…. Orre, _Ash muttered to himself. _I don't think I know that region. _

_ It's pretty far away, _Bulbasaur told the human. _It's also a bit of a shithole. Full of wastelands and deserts. There's almost no wild pokémon there either. A couple of nasty groups of humans like to hide in the outskirts to prey on other regions or the cities. _

_ Okay, _Ash said.

_I wandered there for reasons of my own, _Bulbasaur continued. _And got caught up in what was happening for several years._

_ How'd you end up all the way over here then? _Ash asked.

_I eventually had to leave, _Bulbasaur said with a shrug. _Snuck aboard a boat. And then another. And another. And then I got off at that city south of here, uh, Vermillion City._

_ And then? _

_ I wandered for a bit, and then I met Melanie, _Bulbasaur said. _I liked what she was doing, but she needed some protection. _

_ And there you were, _Pikachu said.

_Yes, _Bulbasaur agreed. _It's been a good few years. Too bad it's over. _

_ What do you mean? _Ash asked._ After we get everyone to safety and get rid of whomever is attacking you, then you and Melanie can come back. _

_No, we can't, _Bulbasaur disagreed. _Melanie kept her sanctuary a secret for a reason. We were a shelter for injured or abandoned pokémon. Do you know how many unscrupulous trainers would love to get their hands on a partially trained pokémon, instead of a wild one? _

_ No, _Ash replied in the manner of pokémon.

_Well, you might not get it, but there are far too many jackasses out there who would like to steal from us, _Bulbasaur said. _Team Rocket didn't even come here to steal pokémon, but they decided to do so as long as they were here. _

_ Wait, the people attacking you are Team Rocket? _Ash asked, sharing a look with Pikachu. _How do you know that? _

_ One of their pokémon said so, _Bulbasaur answered. _I know it ain't damning evidence, but it ain't like they had any reason to lie either._

_ We should think of some way to tell the others about this, _Ash said. _Hmmmm…. Pikachu how do you feel about playing translator? _

_ Why do I have a feeling that you're about to suggest something stupid? _Pikachu asked.

_Well, you can charade something that would make me guess Team Rocket, right? _

_ What would I even charade? A rocketship? I don't know how to charade a rocketship. _

_ How about…. _Ash thought for a moment. _Maybe the tyranitar. Just snarl and stomp a bit. Oh, and then pretend to call down lightning! _

_ And that makes you think Team Rocket? _Pikachu asked.

_Well, it was a Team Rocket pokémon, _Ash replied. _It's not much of a leap to go to Team Rocket from there. _

_ Fine I guess, _Pikachu conceded.

_Huh, your human comrades don't know you talk properly? _Bulbasaur asked.

_No, _Ash replied. _And they don't need to know either. They're only with me because they had nothing better to do and Professor Oak asked them to keep me out of danger. _

Bulbasaur looked down at the bandages on his body and then back to Ash. _Well, it doesn't seem like they're doing a very good job._

* * *

"I must confess," Melanie said as she held the steaming cup of tea, "that when the attack began, I never thought that I would get to have another cup of tea again."

"I'm, uh, sorry about that," Brock said, cheeks tinted red. Misty silently sighed and then sipped at her own tea.

"Why? You're the ones who saved me and allowed me to live long enough to make this cup." Melanie said. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you again for refusing your help earlier."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Brock protested.

"But I certainly had no right to expect your help tonight after refusing it in the day," Melanie replied.

"Yeah, but you got it anyway," Misty interjected, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, how is our medicine? How much do we have left?"

"I'm nearly out of potions," Brock answered. "Melanie, what about you?"

"I still have some of my homemade medicine," the blue haired woman replied. "But my stockpile of pharmaceuticals has been used up."

"Are there any pokémon who still need some of that medicine?" Misty asked.

"No," Melanie shook her head. "The squirtles were in bad shape, but they should recover on their own now. All the other pokémon are fine. One of the bellsprouts and Tauros need monthly treatments, but they received them last week."

"Good," Brock said. "The nearest pokémon center is four days from here at our normal hiking pace. How fast can we safely move the wounded pokémon?"

"I'm not sure how fast your pace is. May I see a map with the pokémon center's location marked on it, please?" Melanie asked. Brock handed her their map and pointed to where the pokémon center was. "Four days would be risky. Seven days should be a safe speed to move all the wounded pokémon. But I'm more worried about our injured human guest."

They turned to look at the gray-haired man, who was situated on a bedroll. He was very flushed and his breathing seemed unhealthy.

"Have you had a chance to talk to him yet?" Misty asked.

"No," Melanie answered. "I've heard him call out for forgiveness and for someone named Ted. I was hoping that he might be better tomorrow, but after tonight's events…."

"Have you had a chance to look through our human medicine yet?" Brock asked, also looking at the injured man. "We might have something that could help?"

"I have taken a look, but in case I missed something, do you have any anti-biotics?" Melanie asked.

"I think I've got some actually," Brock said, digging around in his backpack. "A few days' worth at least. Do you think his wounds got infected?"

"I'm certain that they did," Melanie answered. "They were at least a day old when I had a chance to look at them on the first day and they were improperly tended to."

"Here you go," Brock said, handing over a bottle of pills to the blue haired woman. She accepted them with a nod and then got up to tend to her sick patient.

Misty and Brock sat in silence, sipping tea while Melanie tended to the wounded man. After several minutes of that, Ash joined them, accompanied by Bulbasaur and Pikachu.

"I think I've found out who attacked," Ash said. "It's Team Rocket."

"How'd you figure that out?" Misty asked.

"Well, Pikachu and Bulbasaur were talking, and then Pikachu got all excited about something-"

_I wouldn't get excited about something like this, _Pikachu protested, but Ash ignored him.

"And then he kept trying to charade something," Ash continued. "Eventually I got what he was trying to say."

"Bulbasaur why do you think it's Team Rocket," Melanie asked. "Hmm…. did one of their pokémon say something?"

_Yes, _Bulbasaur nodded.

"No solid evidence, but given Team Rocket's recent activities, I don't think we need any," Brock said. "They've been active in Viridian territory, Pewter territory, and now Vermillion territory."

"Aren't we still in Saffron territory?" Misty asked.

"Maybe. It doesn't really matter right now." Brock answered. "Team Rocket's getting more active all over the region."

"And we're the ones who keeping running into them," Misty groaned. "Aaron, do you think they're stalking you?"

"Team Rocket isn't hunting me," Ash said quickly.

"But you've run into them three times," Misty said, resting her head in her hands. "You know what they say; twice is a coincidence and three times is enemy action."

"Though this time he kind of sought them out, so I'm not sure if this really counts," Brock pointed out.

"You mean it might not be because they're stalking him and just be because he has no survival instincts?" Misty groaned into her hands.

"I have survival instincts!" Ash protested.

"Then I haven't seen them yet," Misty said, still resting her face in her palms.

"Moving on," Brock said. "I don't think this information changes anything."

"It might," Misty said, looking up. "What if Team Rocket arranged the outage?"

"To make sure their target couldn't call for help?" Brock frowned and his brow furrowed. "It seems a bit drastic to take out coverage for an entire region, but it would be effective…."

"It may just be an unfortunate coincidence," Melanie suggested.

"Ugh," Misty groaned again. "It was just supposed to be a simple trip between Cerulean and Vermillion."

"What are we doing next?" Ash asked. "Are we going to attack them? Run away from them? Let them attack us?"

"That's a good question," Brock replied. "Did anyone see what pokémon they had tonight?"

"There were too many and it was too dark," Misty replied, shaking her head.

"I was more focused on what the humans were saying," Melanie admitted.

"What Misty said," Ash added.

"So, we don't know if they have pokémon that are a good counter to Onix," Brock said, leaning forward and resting his chin on his fist. "And we don't know if they have any gadgets that might make things difficult, like that group that attacked Pewter City."

"Do you think they're going to come back for the bodies?" Misty asked.

Ash turned ever so slightly green and looked away from the group.

"Not anytime soon," Brock answered. "I've got Geodude keeping an eye on them just in case though. What should we do…. what should we do…..?"

"Are we going to fortify the cave?" Misty asked.

"As much as I'd like to do that, I don't think that it will work," Brock answered. "No, we have the advantage right now, let's use it." He looked at Misty and then looked at Ash for several seconds. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. Misty and I will attack them. We'll harass them and keep them off balance. Aaron, I need you to work with Bulbasaur and the squirtles to guard Melanie. You need to get them to the pokémon center."

"We can't let Aaron go off alone!" Misty protested, suddenly sitting straight up. "It's too dangerous."

"He wouldn't be going off alone," Brock pointed out. "We've seen some of what Bulbasaur and this Squirtle Squad can do. He would be safer leaving with them than he would be helping us to attack Team Rocket."

Misty looked at Ash for several seconds, fists clenching tighter.

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms and looking away. "Aaron if you die, I will find a way to bring you back to life so I can beat you up."

"Uh….." Ash wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"It looks like I will be in your care," Melanie said, giving Ash a shallow bow.

"I'll make sure you don't get hurt," Ash replied returning the bow.

"And don't let him do anything stupid," Misty cautioned.

"Aaron, we're going to have to plan out your route in advance," Brock told the younger boy. "We're also going to need to sit down with Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad so that you have some sort of plan."

"A good plan," Misty added, sitting back and crossing her arms. "I've seen what happens when he's left to his own devices."

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading

The battle scene exists because I could't think of a better way to get Melanie to trust Ash and co. in the last chapter. It's always fun when the characters don't play along with what you've got planned so you have to take a detour to get where you need to go.

Don't forget to review.

:AN


	20. Chapter 20

Dawn brought no happiness to Aki.

She sat on a rock by the rushing water, just upriver from where the canyon began, one arm wrapped around one upright knee. Behind her was the camp where the forces of Team Rocket that were with her, her forces, tended to the wounded, and took count of the survivors.

Someone walked up behind her.

"What's the damage Dave?" Aki asked, starring out at the rapids, watching the swirls and flows of the whitewater.

"We lost ten operatives," Dave answered. "And thirty-two pokemon. Samantha might not make it through today, and we've got a couple more pokemon in critical condition."

"Leaving us with nineteen personnel, counting ourselves," Aki said, still not looking at Dave. "Could anyone tell if it was an onix or a steelix that attacked us?"

"Rin said that it felt like rock when it hit him," Dave answered.

"Seems like an onix then," Aki sighed. "A pretty powerful one at that."

"I don't think we can take it in a head on fight," Dave told the scarred woman. "We don't have any pokemon with both type advantage and the strength to fight on that level."

"What about paralysis or sleep?" Aki asked. "Do we have any pokemon with moves that have a good chance of putting that thing down without having to fight it?"

"We have a gloom with Stun Spore, a ralts with Hypnosis, and a cottonee with Stun Spore as well," Dave told her.

"If we can get them all to work together and hit the onix with all that at the same time," Aki said, mostly to herself, "and maybe hit it with every type advantage we have….. yes I can have Sneasel try to freeze it…."

"We could try leading it into a trap," Dave suggested.

"It would be easier if we could get its' trainer first," Aki said, finally turning to look at him. Her expression was stoic, but her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. "But they were well defended. I didn't get a good look, but it seemed like there might have been more than one trainer on that thing's back."

"They had at least one other pokemon, probably more, that could use ice and electric attacks," Dave nodded. "Which could prove troublesome."

"And at least one pokemon that could use Gust," Aki told him. "They managed to stop Scyther that way."

"Too many unknowns," Dave groaned. "And we're under radio silence so we can't call for reinforcements."

"We can at least try to guess what they're going to do next," Aki said. "Let's assume that they have one pokemon for electric attacks, one pokemon for ice attacks, and one flying type."

"And they shouldn't be on the same level as the onix, otherwise I don't think any of us would have made it last night."

"Right," Aki nodded. "We can then assume that the onix is going to be the centerpiece of their strategy. Ideally for us, they would stay in the cave and adopt a passive stance, but I don't think they're going to do that."

"We don't know how much they know about us," Dave said, frowning. "Was last night planned? Or did they just stumble across us?"

"Our luck would have to be pretty shit if they did," Aki replied. "We have to assume that they know how many of us there are. And that they have a rough estimate on how many pokemon we have."

"Why only a rough estimate?" Dave asked.

"Because if it's anything more than that, then we're already fucked," Aki replied. "Fucked without a kiss or a condom."

"Vulgar, but probably accurate," Dave agreed. "So, with a rough estimate of our numbers, a powerful onix, and three other pokemon, what would you do?"

"I'd crush us as soon as possible," Aki told him. "I wouldn't want to let us get up to anything. But since they're not doing that, they either don't know where our camp is or they have something more important to take care of."

"I wonder if they were sent to rescue our primary target," Dave wondered, "or if they're there to rescue our secondary target?"

"We can only hope that it's the secondary target," Aki replied. "If it's the primary target then whoever sent them has some idea about what he knows."

"Which means that this operation was a failure before it even began," Dave clenched his fist. "But we have to assume that's not the case."

"Either way they're going to want to guard our targets," Aki said. "And we're pretty sure there's multiple trainers there. I'm guessing that the onix belongs to one trainer, and the other three pokemon belong to another. Here's what I would do in that situation. I would use the flying type to scout out our location and then I would leave it with the targets."

"So, they could send you a warning if they got attacked," Dave inferred. "Would you leave the electric type there as well and take that bulbasaur that gave us so much trouble."

"Maybe," Aki massaged her brow, "it would depend on what sort of pokemon I had that could use those electric attacks. But either way I would leave a few extra pokemon with the targets, and then attack us in full force."

"Maybe we could create some sort of decoy," Dave suggested, massaging his chin, eyes narrowing. "We setup some extra tents and leave a few people and pokemon in camp with instructions to look extra busy."

"So, we could attack the cave while they're not there," Aki said. "It's not a bad plan, but we would have to keep an eye on the cave without them knowing about it. And given how they managed to sneak up on us, I'm not sure that we could do that."

"What else could we try?"

"Any trap or trick we try to come up with relies on them not know what we're up to," Aki replied, eyes narrowing as she looked back over the rapids. "What we really need to do is figure out how good they are at scouting."

"We don't have much time," Dave reminded her. "They could attack again at any moment."

"I know, I know," Aki sighed. "But I can't go ahead with a plan that might get any more of my people killed. I've let too many die already."

"You couldn't have known that they'd pull a full grown onix out of their asses," Dave told her. "It's my fault-"

"Oh, not this again," Aki growled. "If you don't think I can't be blamed for what happened last night, why do you think you can be blamed for the target suddenly breaking pattern?"

"Then you agree that you can't be blamed for last night then?" Dave asked with a small smile.

"You're a bastard," Aki said, gently punching him in the arm. She also had a small smile on her face.

"The real question is, do we try to figure out how good they are at scouting, or do we take a gamble and assume we can pull one over on them?" Dave asked.

"We don't have time to test them. But we do need some eyes on them," Aki replied, her own eyes narrowing. "Think you can go take a look at them for me?"

* * *

Ash woke up very late in the morning, having barely gone back to sleep before the sun rose.

It had been a busy night. He, Brock, and Misty had gone over some basic tactics with Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad (who didn't know that he could speak properly yet), and then he had helped them clean up the cave. After that Brock taught him some basics on how to look over the wounded man. Only after that did Ash get to go to sleep.

Ash gently moved Pikachu off of his chest and then sat up in his sleeping bag, taking a look around the cave. Pokemon were scattered about, sleeping in huddled groups. Melanie was nearby, curled up under a blanket, sleeping atop a gently snoring tauros.

"Breakfast?" A quiet voice said from Ash's side. Ash turned to find Brock with a plate of hot eggs and breakfast potatoes.

"Sure," Ash replied, quietly slipping out of his sleeping bag and taking the offered breakfast and a spoon. He wasted no time in digging in.

"I had concerns about the best way to prepare the powdered eggs, but it looks like I did a good job," Brock commented as he watched Ash vacuum up the food.

"I guess," Ash, who had been raised on a diet of dried meat, raw berries, and raw vegetables, said between bites. "Why are you up so early? Didn't you have first watch?"

"Yeah, but I'm used to getting up early," Brock answered. "I've learned how to function without sleep."

"Oh," Ash replied, trying not to think about horrible that sounded, and then turned back to his breakfast.

Ash had nearly finished with his breakfast when Misty joined them. She shuffled forward like one of the dead who walked, large dark bags under her eyes, which in turn, were barely open.

"Food. Give me." She managed to grunt out.

"Here you are!" Brock said in a cheery voice. Misty did her best to glare at him.

"Hate you. So much." She grunted, but still took the food.

"Would you me to make some coffee?" Brock asked.

"No. Too young. All of us. Growth stunted." Misty grunted out between bites. "Just need actual sleep."

"You're obviously not used to having to do things in the early morning," Brock commented happily. "But don't worry. Eventually you'll get used to it."

"I think she needs Pikachu to- uh, what's it called- jump start her!" Ash said. "She needs a jump start from Pikachu to get going this morning!"

"I will drown you both," Misty growled. "Aaron, let's see if you find it funny when you have to stand watch and still get up in the morning."

_Any food for me? _Pikachu yawned, waddling over to join them. Ash gave him a few of the potatoes from his plate before getting up to locate his backpack and get some chow for the electric type.

"We'll have to feed our pokemon before we set out," Brock said. "We should get everyone ready to move in an hour and then we'll move out."

Ash and Misty nodded. They finished their breakfast with little conversation and then released their pokemon to feed them. Then they began the process of waking up Melanie and the pokemon under her care.

"Mmhmmm," Melanie made a noise while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Is it morning already?"

"I-er, um, made some breakfast if you'd like," Brock told her, cheeks red. Ash was really curious as to why that kept happening when Brock talked to Melanie.

(Misty, meanwhile, just rolled her eyes.)

"Thank you," Melanie said, smiling up at the former gym leader, who grew even redder.

_Up and at em! _Bulbasaur shouted at the group of snoring squirtles, snapping his vines for emphasis. There was a sudden burst of movement and the thudding of shell hitting shell as the water-types scrambled to get up.

_That's my job! _Squirtle protested while his squad formed up behind him.

_Then you should have already done it!_ Bulbasaur told him. _We're getting ready to move out. While things would be so much more peaceful if we left ya'll here, I'm afraid everyone would get mad at me if I tried that. _

_ Ah, go stuff your bulb, you overgrown weed, _Squirtle shot back with a yawn. _Alright, you heard the pokemon. Everyone eat and then we're off! _

The squirtle squad hustled over to Melanie's sacks of dried food that had been salvaged from the village and then dug in. The other pokemon from the village joined them.

"Do we have enough food?" Ash asked Melanie. "For the journey I mean."

"The herbivores will need to find some food along the way," Melanie answered. "But we should have enough for everyone else."

It took everyone an hour and a half to actually get ready. Brock sent out his zubat to scout around the area and Ash sent Pidgeotto out to get a bird's eye view of their surroundings. Neither one was able to find any sign of Team Rocket in the nearby area.

"Is it possible that they've given up?" Melanie asked.

"Maybe," Brock answered. "But I doubt it. If they're willing to chase that man all the way out here and attempt to kill everyone's he's met, then they're probably not willing to withdraw that easily."

"Speaking of our guest," Melanie said, "I think he might be coherent this morning. We should try to talk to him before we set out."

"We probably should," Brock sighed, looking at his watch. "Aaron, Misty! Get over here."

* * *

Aoba woke to an unfamiliar ceiling, a pounding headache, and a body in pain. While this in and of itself wasn't an uncommon occurrence for the scientist (end of semester parties back in school had been wild) what was strange was that the ceiling in question was a rock ceiling. He was in some sort of cave.

What was he doing in a cave? Why did he hurt? And where was Ted-

Memories surfaced, hitting Aoba like a speeding truck. Ted was buried in the cold earth. People were trying to kill him. And he was in a cave because…

Because…

Because…..

So, actually, he didn't know why he was currently in a cave. Aoba tried to sit up, but his side burned when he attempted to do so. He gave up on that and decided to just lie back and ache for a while.

He drifted in and out of sleep a few times. Noises filtered in from somewhere else in the cave, but Aoba didn't feel like risking more pain to try and see what was happening.

"Is he awake?" Aoba heard a young man's voice ask during one of his wakeful periods, where he hadn't bothered opening his eyes.

"Check and-"Aoba coughed as he tried to talk. "-and find out, why don't you."

A gentle hand rested on his forehead. It was surprisingly cool to the touch.

"It looks like your fever's gone down," a woman's voice said gently. "Would you like some water? Or a wet rag?"

"Water- "Aoba croaked. He hadn't realized just how dry his throat felt until he started talking. "-water would be nice."

"I'll got get some," the woman's voice said and then the hand vanished. About a minute later she spoke up again. "Here. Drink it slowly."

"Thank you," Aoba managed to say. He opened his eyes and reached towards where her voice had been.

Before him was a pale woman with blue hair, a darkly tanned young man with brown hair, another pale girl with orange-red hair, and a boy with black hair. Various pokemon stood with them, though Aoba didn't recognize the different species off the top of his head. The blue haired woman had a cup of water for him.

Never before had lukewarm water tasted so good nor had it ever felt so good.

"Where am I?" Aoba asked once he had managed to get some of the water down.

"You're in the wilds between Saffron and Vermillion," the young man said. "What's your name?"

"It's- "Aoba almost didn't tell them his name in case they were with the people trying to kill him, but he realized that the people trying to kill him probably already knew both his name and appearance. "It's Aoba," he told them. "Who are you?"

"I'm Brock," the brown-haired young man said.

"My name is Melanie," the blue haired woman said with a gentle bow.

"I'm Misty," the red head said.

"Aaron," the black-haired boy said.

"How are you feeling?" Melanie asked.

"Awful," Aoba replied and then took another sip of water. "I have pounding headache. I have severe throbbing pain in my side. I feel lethargic."

"Any sensitivity to light or other stimuli?" Melanie asked, looking critically at his face and side.

"I don't think so," Aoba managed to grunt out. "I'm guessing that my wounds are infected?"

"It would appear so," Melanie agreed with a nod. "Do you have any medical training yourself?"

"Not really." Aoba answered. "I was a biochemist."

"Why is Team Rocket trying to kill you?" Misty asked.

"Team Rocket? They're the ones trying to kill me?" Aoba managed to say before he started coughing. As far as he knew he had never done anything to offend the criminal organization. "I don't know," he told Misty honestly.

Team Rocket had not been involved with his transgressions on Cinnabar Island. Aoba didn't understand how the two could be connected.

And then his head throbbed more urgently and Aoba suddenly found it hard to keep his eyes open.

"I'm sorry," he managed to croak out. "I need to sleep."

"Please do," Melanie told him. "But I have to warn you that we're going to have to move you soon. Do you think you can walk, or will you need help?"

"I'll need help," Aoba replied, eyes closed, and sinking back into darkness. His last thought before sleep reclaimed him was that he didn't need help.

He needed Ted.

* * *

"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Misty asked the others while they finished getting ready to move out.

"I don't know," Brock answered. "But we'll have to take his word for now. Aaron, do you need anything before we split up?"

"No," Ash said, shaking his head. He remembered what Brock had told him about taking care of Aoba and Ash remembered basic tactics that he had gone over with Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad.

"Okay," Brock said, placing one hand on Ash's shoulder. "Good luck and don't get killed."

"Aaron, if you get yourself killed, I will do horrible things to your soul," Misty told him.

"Well, the same goes for you!" Ash shot back. "Don't do anything stupid like telling Brock to leave you alone to fight Zapados McBossyPants!"

"If I ever have to fight Zapados it will be because you thought you needed to attack it with your bare hands shrimp!" Misty rebutted.

"Break it up you two," Brock sighed. "Alright, let's get going. Go Onix!"

Everyone, people and pokemon alike, pressed themselves up against the walls as the large rock-type appeared. Onix had to wind his way through several chambers in order to keep his body in the cave, and even then, it was a tight squeeze.

"Dig a tunnel, sloping down at thirty-degrees," Brock said. "Go one hundred meters and then stop."

_You got it Brock, _Onix rumbled and then started digging into the cave floor. Rock and dirt were either consumed or crushed as the stone serpent sped through the ground faster than most creatures could run. In his wake there was a gently sloping tunnel.

"Alright, move everyone into the tunnel," Brock said. All the pokemon from the village, Ash, Melanie, and Aoba huddled on Tauros, filed into the tunnel behind Onix. Brock and Misty followed.

Brock then directed Onix to dig another tunnel, one that led towards the Yi-Lin Memorial Pokemon Center that was the destination of Aaron and Melanie. The tunnel didn't break the surface however.

"Right, and now we wait five minutes after you leave to break through?" Ash said.

"Right," Brock nodded. "We'll see you safe and sound at the pokemon center."

"Or else," Misty said with a glare that didn't seem entirely serious. And then the gym leader and the gym trainer departed on the back of Onix.

_Alright! Let's blow this popsicle stand! _Squirtle shouted after five minutes.

_Is that a human phrase? _Ash whispered to Pikachu.

_You really haven't heard it before? _Pikachu shook his head. _You poor benighted soul you. _

_ Hey! _

_Water gun! _The squirtle squad blasted forth several jets of pressurized water, forming one large blast, that blew open the end of the tunnel. Everyone filed out and back into the sunlit forest.

* * *

"Boss!" Aki turned her head to look at the subordinate who had shouted. "My sandshrew is trying to tell me something's coming underground, and I don't think it's Dave's team!"

"Everyone look alive!" Aki shouted, standing up. She and thirteen of her subordinates were spread out in the forest about a mile away from the cave. She had dispatched Dave and four others to scout around the cave where their target had been holed up in last. "Pokemon out and get ready to fight! If you feel tremors beneath you then move!"

She had barely finished giving her orders when the earth tore open and the onix charged forward. In the light of day, when she knew what it was, and that it was coming, it didn't look like a monster anymore.

It looked like an enemy.

She saw its trainer riding on its back. It was a darkly tanned young man. He fit the description of Brock, the gym leader from Pewter City, whose possession of an onix was well known. But what, Aki wondered, would the gym leader from Pewter City be doing out here?

"Scyther, take out that trainer!" Aki shouted, jumping to the side and releasing her pokemon. "Raticate, get ready for anything!"

The onix barreled past her, smashing trees as it went. White lights blazed all over the forest as the forces under Aki's command also released their pokemon. Special attacks lanced out, fire, electricity, beams of psychic energy, and jets of water. Some hit and splashed over the onix's thick hide, failing to penetrate the creature's defenses. Others missed as the onix sped past at a speed of over fifty miles per hour.

People and pokemon scattered before the onix as it tore through the group. It reared up and then dove back into the earth.

"It's going to come around again!" Aki shouted. "Shout a warning if you think it's going to come up near you!"

Instinct prodded her to look at the hole that the onix had emerged from. She caught a flash of color and threw herself to the side. A pressurized jet of water blasted through a tree behind where she had been standing.

"There's a second trainer or pokemon in the first hole!" Aki shouted. "Everyone keep an eye out!" Aki looked again, but the flash of color was gone. The trainer or pokemon had probably withdrawn back into the hole dug by the onix.

Aki grit her teeth. It was going to be a long fight.

* * *

Ash ducked under a tree branch and emerged into a hilltop clearing while the rest of the group took a break. He shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun and got out his map to confirm his location. While he was doing so the Squirtle Squad followed him into the clearing.

_How do we get him to speak properly? _One of the squirtles asked.

_He can't do that dummy, Bulbasaur was just pulling our legs, _another replied.

_Maybe he's like a machine, _yet another said, _and we have to hit him to make him work right. _

_ But where should we hit him? _

_ You know, _Ash sighed, _I am protected by a trigger happy pikachu. You sure you want to be talking about this here? _

_ Ha! _The squirtle with angular sunglasses laughed. _I wonder if that's what Bulbasaur wanted? _

_ Well, if you keep this up, he might just get it, _Pikachu warned, cheeks sparking.

_So, this is why you were so loyal to your trainer, _Squirtle, the leader wearing angular sunglasses, said. _He can speak properly so he's more like a pokemon. _

_ He's too stupid to be a pokemon, _Pikachu said, waving away Squirtle's comment. _I stick with him because someone has to watch over him. _

_ He thinks I'm adorable, _Ash mock-whispered to the Squirtles, _and I accidently taught him how to summon lightning. _

_ Stupid things are often cute, _Pikachu agreed.

_Aren't you the one who's always calling himself cute? _Ash asked with a grin.

_I said often, not always, _Pikachu huffed. _This is yet more proof of your intelligence deficiency. You need someone like me to-_

_ Try and electrocute anything regardless of type immunities? _Ash said, still grinning. _You aren't any smarter than me. _

_ I was never stupid enough to tell my comrades to go get help while I decided to go back and try and fight a tyranitar by myself! _Pikachu crossed his forepaws and glared at Ash. _Yes, I'm still mad at you for that. _

_ Awwww, you can't even deny that you care, _Ash said, wrapping Pikachu in a hug.

_What! Why! You- eeerrrgg. Fine. You win this round Ash, _Pikachu muttered from within Ash's arms.

_Anyway, _Ash said, turning to the Squirtle Squad, Pikachu still in his arms, _we should probably talk about tactics some more. _

_ Didn't we already do that? _Squirtle asked.

_That was when Brock was here, _Ash replied. _Now that I don't have to pretend not to be able to speak properly, we can go into more detail. _

_ Why couldn't you speak properly in front of Brock? _Squirtle inquired. _Do you forget how to do so when around people? _

_ No, I just don't want them to know, _Ash answered. _It would lead to too many awkward questions. So, tactics. _

_ Hmmmmm….. _Squirtle curled his forepaw into something like a fist and rested his chin on it. _What we went over with Brock should suffice._

_ But we can do more now, _Ash replied. _Like we can try combining your Water Guns with Pikachu's attacks. Or maybe we can try to figure out how to quickly flood the ground if they try using Dig to attack us! _

_ That could work! _Squirtle said. _Maybe if we had something to blast some holes in the ground first, to make it easy to saturate- _

_ We'd need to get the timings down- _Ash said.

_We'd need to focus on volume over pressure- _

_ Uhh…. No offense, _one of the squirtles wearing round sunglasses spoke up. _But this sounds a lot like being trained. _

_ Yeah, _another agreed.

_ Oh, right, _Squirtle sighed.

_What's wrong with-_Ash began, before remembering the squad's comments from when they had first encountered each other. _Uh, is this about your previous trainers? _

_ Fuckin' humans, _one squirtle growled.

_She threw me away like trash, _another spoke up.

_My buddy here lost to a luxray and her trainer called her weak! _Another shouted, patting the back of one of their comrades. _It was fully evolved and had type advantage! Who the hell would've thought she could win!?_

More squirtles shouted their grievances at Ash. Squirtle grimaced and crossed his arms.

_Okay, you've made your point, _he told his squad and then turned back to Ash. _Look, we know not all humans are bad. And personally, I'll admit that there are a few good trainers. But none of them will ever trust a trainer again. And they aren't too keen on doing anything that seems like training either. _

_ I- I get it, _Ash muttered. He had heard stories, from his classmates and caretakers about people who threw away their pokemon. Not released them, but abandoned them, whether they were originally wild or not.

Ash personally couldn't imagine such a thing. He couldn't imagine how a person could do such a thing and not succumb to guilt.

But there were many things Ash Ketchum didn't understand about humans. And there were many things that Ash Ketchum didn't understand about pokemon either. Life was full of wonder and mystery, but some mysteries were cruel, some were petty, and some were just mean, like an unpleasant grime that left one feeling dirty long after the substance itself was washed off. It almost didn't matter what the answer was if the question alone could taint.

_Sorry, _Ash said, rubbing the back of his head with the arm that wasn't holding Pikachu. _I didn't mean it like that. _

_ It's alright_, one of the Squirtle Squad said, _we'll give you pass because you're weird. _

_ Thanks, I guess, _Ash replied. He looked back at the map, and then at some landmarks, and confirmed their position. _I guess we should rejoin the others._

* * *

Dave stood at the opening of the tunnel that lead away from the cave where his targets had been hiding; a newly dug tunnel that had allowed them to slip away. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

They hadn't considered this and Dave knew that they should have. Now he would have to determine if they were just relocating the targets to somewhere nearby or were evacuating them to somewhere that Team Rocket couldn't reach.

Dave took a deep breath. He couldn't currently account for the onix, so it was probably attacking the rest of the team. There was a chance that they could handle the onix and its trainer. There was no chance that they could complete the mission while they were fending off the onix.

Dave knew what he needed to do. He got out a notepad, scribbled a message, and then released the messenger pidgey.

"Take this to Aki," he told his pokemon, "and then come find me with her response."

_Sure thing Dave! _The pidgey chirped and then took off with the message. Dave nodded and turned to the four people under his command.

"We're going to have to split off the main group," Dave told his team, his tracking team. "The combat operatives are probably busy with that onix now and if we go back for them our targets might slip away."

"Shouldn't we help them?" One of his people asked. Dave shook his head.

"We might be able to make a difference against that onix, but we would have to let our targets escape," Dave told his subordinates. "The boss told us this mission was of the utmost importance. He's not the sort to exaggerate."

"We all had our reasons for joining Team Rocket." Dave continued, making sure to look each of his subordinates in the eye. "Some of us joined because we believed in the cause. Some of us joined because we thought it would give us a better life. And some of us were born into it, we're here because Team Rocket is our family."

"And we can't let that family down," Dave continued, letting his voice grow louder. "Aki and her team will do their best to deal with the onix. That gives us a chance to do our best and kill our targets. Our family needs us. Let's go."

His subordinates nodded. And with that they were off.

* * *

Aki wiped the sweat from her brow as the late afternoon sun shone down on her. Her hands trembled, her legs trembled, her whole body was shaking. She struggled not to pant as she leaned against the tree.

Her subordinates were in little better shape as they rested in the woods around her. A few of them were tending to their wounds, or the wounds of their comrades or pokemon. Only a few, because people and pokemon didn't tend to be wounded when a large onix attacked.

They tended to die instead.

It had been grueling trying to fight that onix. Aki had tried to rally her people, but the onix's trainer made sure to keep them all separated. In the end Aki had simply focused on keeping the trainer's attention while her people made a run for it.

Aki had done her best to bypass the onix and kill the trainer, but the onix never stayed above ground long enough for her to have a shot. And the other trainer lurking in the onix tunnels and made sure to keep Aki on her toes with water and ice attacks.

Aki closed her eyes and took several deep breathes. She hadn't heard from Dave all day. She needed to ascertain their situation before she could decide on her next course of action.

She caught her breath for a few more minutes and then stood up, ready to put together a scouting party to find Dave and his group. But before she could do so a pidgey fluttered down next to her. It had a note attached to its leg.

Aki recognized the flying-type and grabbed the message. She read it, then closed her eyes and sank back against the tree again.

Dave was safe. And he was on the trail of the targets. Aki took another deep breath. Maybe the mission could succeed after all.

"He made the right call," she said to the flying type, before getting up to find a pen to compose a return message.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading.

Don't forget to review!

EDIT: Doc manager ate my line breaks somehow. Re-added.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Apologies to everyone who read the last chapter before I could fix the formatting. FFN ate my line breaks. It's fixed if you want to give it another read. If not, here's the current chapter.:AN

* * *

Morning the next day found Ash rubbing sleep out of his eyes as the alarm on his pokédex's internal clock beeped. He groaned.

Last night Ash had stood second watch. He had never had to stand watch before and he certainly had never had to stand watch in the middle of the night, after having already gone to sleep. And then he had been expected to get back to sleep for the final part of the night!

How did everyone else do it? Ash pinched himself to wake up, glared at Pikachu who was gently snoring nearby and hadn't joined Ash in standing watch, and then got up to have some breakfast.

While he was munching on a non-perishable, nutrient rich, energy bar of some sort, a bar that tasted of chocolate and cardboard, Ash noticed a faint orange light coming from behind him.

_Charmander, right? _Ash asked as the fire-type joined him.

_It's actually Little Guiding Light, not Lizard of Fire, _Charmander corrected.

_Sorry, _Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. They stood around for a few seconds of silence before Charmander spoke again.

_So, um, do you know, or, actually, I mean, er, _Charmander rambled. _I heard a little bit about your adventures and do you know how your pokémon got so strong? Did you do it or were they just strong? _

_ They were all pretty strong when I got them, _Ash replied. _But I'd like to think I've helped them too. _

_Do you know how they got that way? _Charmander asked eagerly.

_Umm…. _Ash thought back on what he had heard from his pokémon. _I know Pikachu did a lot of practice… Pidgeotto I don't think did anything special… Butterfree….. hmm…. what did Butterfree do when he was Caterpie… he ate a lot of leaves I think… _

_ Okay, _Charmander nodded. _So, I have to practice and eat a lot of leaves to get strong. _

_ I'm not that'll work for you, _Ash said. _Can you even eat leaves? _

_ I know my teeth are sharp, but I'm actually an omnivore, _Charmander replied. _But, uh, I usually eat fruit, not leaves…. _

_ Maybe you should just focus on the practice part, _Ash told the fire type. _What moves do you know? _

_ I can scratch, I can do Ember, _Charmander answered, _and I can sort of do Flamethrower….. _

Ash sighed as Charmander trailed off and fidgeted. He could guess the problem. _Are you just doing an Ember attack that looks like Flamethrower? _

_ I don't know, _Charmander admitted, looking down at the ground and clasping his claws behind his back. _I thought if it looks like Flamethrower then…. _

_ It's okay if you can't do Flamethrower, _Ash replied. _But unless it's a trick you shouldn't make Ember look like Flamethrower either. There's more to the move then just the shape. _

_ Like what? _Charmander asked.

_Well, intensity of the flames, _Ash answered, rubbing his chin. He didn't think it actually helped with thinking, but he thought that it might be worth a try. _And then there's the amount of hot air you mix in after you've made the flame. And then there's the power, which is different than the intensity, but I'm not sure I really understood what Growlithe was saying there….. _

_ Hot air? _Charmander peeked up briefly and then looked back at his feet. _Oh right, of course, I know what they mean by that-_

_ I know I'm not the best at this sort of thing, _Ash interrupted, _but I'm pretty sure that you're lying right now. _

_ Yea, _Charmander scuffed at the ground with his foot, avoiding Ash's gaze.

_If you want your fire attack to have concussive force, you need to mix in air, _Ash explained. _You need to use the attack to heat it so it expands and hits your target at the same time as the flames. _

_ Do you know how to mix the air in? _Charmander inquired, still not looking at Ash.

_Sorry, _Ash frowned. _I mean I think I might, but I'm not sure if the basics are the same for every species, though they might be,…. Umm….. I'd help you practice but we can't really afford to have any fires to give away our position right now. _

_ Okay, _Charmander replied. Ash thought he saw something wet in the fire-type's eyes. _You don't need to waste your time with me. _

_No, no, I'd like to help you figure this out, _Ash said quickly. _I just don't want Team Rocket to find us right now. I'll have to wait at the pokémon center a few days while Brock and Misty catch up with us, so I can help you practice then, okay? _

_ It's fine, _Charmander said, turning away and looking at the ground. _You don't need to-_

_ Yes, but I want to, _Ash told the fire type. _Let's turn that fake Flamethrower into a real Flamethrower! _

Charmander fidgeted until Ash put a hand on his shoulder and knelt down to look the fire-type in the eye.

_Okay? _Ash asked again.

Charmander finally met Ash's eyes. The fire-type's eyes were wide and wet.

_Okay, _Charmander replied.

* * *

"Another day," Brock groaned and stretched. "And I'm not even getting paid for this anymore."

"You got paid for this?" Misty groaned as well, arching her back with a small crack.

"Perks of being a gym leader instead of a dependent of the gym leaders," Brock told her. "I got a salary. You got an allowance."

"Just my luck," Misty groaned again, stretching. "Same strategy today?"

"No," Brock shook his head. "They'll be ready for you being in the tunnels if we try that again. I think we'll harass them from range today."

"My pokémon aren't trained to be artillery," Misty pointed out. "What about yours?"

"Onix and Geodude both know Rock Throw," Brock answered. "You'll be covering me today."

"Fine, let's eat and go," Misty said, reaching into her backpack for a protein bar.

They ate their breakfast, consisting of cardboard tasting bars, in silence. Brock occasionally glanced over at Misty with a worried expression on his face.

"What?" Misty grunted the third time he did so.

"Are you okay," Brock asked.

"Yes," Misty growled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Brock fidgeted a bit before speaking. "You were having, well, nightmares I guess, last night. I heard you tossing and crying when I was standing watch."

"So, I had a bad dream," Misty replied, scowling. "What about it?"

"I think you've been having nightmares for a while," Brock said carefully. "I'm not sure because we've never needed to stand watch before, but I think I remember hearing sounds from you at night."

"You haven't," Misty said flatly, before taking another bite from her breakfast. She looked away from Brock and chewed.

"Are you sure?" Brock asked. "If you need to talk-"

"Shove it," Misty growled. "I'm fine."

"If you say so," Brock sighed. They ate in silence for another minute.

Misty drew in a deep breath.

"Look, if you're worried that I'm- that I've got some trauma, you're… you're not being an ass," Misty said eventually, deliberately looking in Brock's direction but not at him. "I'm still dealing with some things from earlier. From Viridian. But I think I've got a handle on them."

"You're the one who would know," Brock said in a neutral tone, not trying to force eye contact.

"I admit that having to fight like this isn't helping me," Misty went on. "But I can handle it."

"There's no shame if you can't," Brock said gently.

"That's a bit condescending coming from the sixteen-year-old gym leader," Misty rolled her eyes.

"Former gym leader," Brock corrected.

"That's beside the point," Misty said. "You were a gym leader for, what, two years was it?"

"Yes."

"Two years. I'm sure you had to kill some people during that time." Misty went on. "If you can deal with it-"

"Misty, it took me a year to learn how to deal with it," Brock informed her. "I was a mess that first year. I had to balance the gym, my siblings, and dealing with the stress that came with both. Don't you remember all the letters I sent to everyone?"

"Yeah, I thought that was a little strange," Misty admitted. "I figured something was wrong, but…."

"I was trying to reach out to my fellow gym brats for help, but I couldn't figure out how to put it in words," Brock told her. "Funnily enough it wasn't a gym brat who figured out I needed help. It was Erika."

"How did she figure it out?" Misty asked, scowl no longer on her face.

"Mai left one of my letters out in the open," Brock said. "You know how she gets."

"Well, in her defense, Celadon Gym is very relaxing," Misty replied. "If you were going to develop a habit of napping everywhere, that would be the place to do it."

"I mean, whenever there was a gathering there everyone usually did end up falling asleep at some point…." Brock mused.

"My sisters still have pictures of that pile everyone was in," Misty huffed, crossing her arms. "Aya and Janine have tried to steal every copy, but my sisters keep making backups."

"I'll keep that in mind next time they want something from me," Brock said. "But, back to my point, Erika helped me learn to deal with the stress that comes from having those fights and from having to kill."

"Good for her," Misty muttered.

"And part of it was just talking about what happened," Brock continued. "I'm not a therapist, but I can help if you need it."

"Thanks," Misty muttered, crossing her arms, "but I'm doing fine. I'm dealing."

"Okay. I can listen whenever you need to talk." Brock said. "Slightly off topic, but do you think Aaron's been doing okay?"

"No," Misty replied. "Given how eager he was to get into this mess it's clear that someone surgically removed his sense of self-preservation."

"I meant; do you know if he's been having nightmares too?" Brock asked.

"I- I don't think so," Misty answered. "But I haven't been keeping watch either."

"I should have this talk with him too," Brock sighed.

"Have it with him instead of me you mean," Misty corrected, finishing off the last of her breakfast. "Now can we quit talking and go attack Team Rocket?"

* * *

It was early in the afternoon. Ash, Melanie, and the pokémon were heading down a gentle hill. The sun shone through the forest's autumn canopy and fallen leaves crunched beneath the feet of the travelers.

Melanie and Aoba were leading the way this time, along with a section of the Squirtle Squad, and Charmander who was sticking close to Melanie. Ash, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur brought up the rear. Ash kept looking up at the sky, keeping an eye out for Pidgetto who was off scouting.

_So, uh, _Ash began, trying to think of the correct way to phrase things. _What's the story with Charmander? _

_ I imagine that two pokémon felt close to each other and then they mated, _Bulbasaur said dryly. _There was an egg and then the egg hatched into Charmander. _

_ Oh, ha ha ha, _Ash replied.

_That reminds me, _Pikachu said. _Did you ever get the mating talk or do I need to give it to you? _

_ I know how mating works, _Ash said, rolling his eyes. _And I know how the human version works too. Between school, Poison Lance, Flygirl, and Pocket Watch I know more than enough._

_ Good, because soap operas might be big on everything surrounding human mating, but they never got into the process of how it actually works, _Pikachu said.

_ Anyway, why's Charmander so….. _Ash struggled to think of the right word and failed. _Well, why is he the way he is. _

_ His trainer was an asshole, _Bulbasaur grunted. _Damien, I think that was his name, well he kept getting mad at Charmander for being weak._

_ Huh? _Ash asked. _I mean yeah, he's clearly a young pokémon. As a trainer you're supposed to help pokémon like that get stronger. _

_ That's what you're supposed to do, _Bulbasaur agreed. _But whatever Damien was trying to do wasn't working. _

_ Well, then he needed to get help to train his pokémon, _Ash said.

_ But that would mean admitting that the issue was on his end, _Bulbasaur pointed out with a grin that didn't seem very happy. _Which would mean that he would have to admit he'd have a problem. Which wouldn't be good for his ego. And if there's one thing humans ain't inclined to do its things that don't feel good for their egos. _

_ Hey! _Ash protested. _There are plenty of pokémon with overinflated egos. Take a look at Pikachu! _

_ Hey! _Pikachu protested, giving Ash a mild shock on the hand.

_ Most pokémon with ego problems get eaten rather shortly, _Bulbasaur said while Ash winced and shook out his hand. _Your Pikachu is the exception. Humans with ego problems tend to live longer. Anyway, after a few months of Damien being an ass and Charmander suffering under his 'care', Damien abandoned Charmander. Left him on the side of the road and told him to wait until he got back. _Bulbasaur was growling by the end of his statement.

_That's- that's just evil, _Ash said, feeling a bit sick.

_Oh, it gets better. It started raining! _Bulbasaur said gritted out, eyes drawn into a glare. _Charmander nearly died 'cause his trainer was either too cowardly to tell him that he was being abandoned or 'cause he wanted to play some sort of sick game! _

_ Errgh, _Ash grimaced, hands flexing, stomach twisting. From what he had learned, in school, extra-curricular courses, and from his caretakers, releasing a pokémon into the wild was sometimes ethical an ethical thing to do, in fact it was sometimes the only ethical thing to do, but that was when the pokémon knew what was going on. And generally, the pokémon had agreed to being released or requested it.

Some pokémon-trainer matchups just didn't work out. That was when it was best to trade the pokémon away or release it, whatever the pokémon wanted.

But to abandon it, lie to it, and then leave the pokémon in danger…

Just how did someone…

_How did he survive? _Ash asked forcing himself to move on.

_He found some shelter by the side of the road, _Bulbasaur answered. _But it was close. I found him the next day and his tail flame was nearly out. I had to carry him back to Melanie. _

_ Oh, _Ash said in a small voice.

_It was a near thing, _Bulbasaur went on. _But she managed to get him healthy. In body at least. He still thinks it's his fault that Damien left him. _

_ There's no way it is! _Ash growled, clenching his fists.

_I know, but try telling him that, _Bulbasaur agreed.

There were several seconds of silence before Ash spoke again.

_I want to help him, _Ash told the grass type. _But I don't think I can, can I? Because if I could do it in the time we'll have, then you could've done already, right? _

_ I've been trying for months, _Bulbasaur sighed. _But you never know. You might get lucky. Just don't do anything too crazy. _

_ Ash once tried to fight a tyranitar with nothing but his bare hands, _Pikachu spoke up, grinning. _You'll have to be more specific about what you consider too crazy. _

_ I did not, _Ash protested, while Bulbasaur gave him a sidelong glance. _I tried to send my team away to get help because they were all tired and then I went to go see if I could help Misty, who was fighting the tyranitar. _

_ With her bare hands? _Bulbasaur asked.

_No, with her pokémon, _Ash answered.

_But you tried to help her fight a tyranitar without your pokémon, _Bulbasaur asked.

_I found something I could do, _Ash protested. _She gave me a stun baton and sent me after the tyranitar's trainer. _

_ Well that doesn't sound too bad-_

_And the trainer beat me up and threw me to the tyranitar to kill me, _Ash continued. _It really hurt. _

_ -And it sounds bad again, _Bulbasaur finished with a sigh. _I ain't gonna regret asking how you managed to survive, am I? _

_ We had to save him at the last minute, _Pikachu exclaimed. _Butterfree was Metapod then, so we just chucked him at the tyranitar. And then Pidgeotto distracted it and I killed it with lightning! _

_ Lighting? _Bulbasaur looked at Ash who nodded. Bulbasaur closed his eyes. _I am going to regret asking you about that, ain't I? _

_ There was a storm, and this idiot had been sharing facts about lighting, _Pikachu explained. _I was able to manipulate the electric charges to hit the tyranitar with a bolt of lightning. _

_ You taught your pikachu how to summon lighting, _Bulbasaur gave Ash a flat look.

_I didn't mean to, _Ash replied.

_That doesn't make it better! _Bulbasaur protested. _Do you know how many electric types fry themselves trying to play with lightning? Or how many trainers get themselves fried trying to do so? _

_ Huh? _

_ What the idiot said! _

_ Every electric pokémon gets it in their head to try and summon lightning, _Bulbasaur groaned. _Most either get over the idea, try it once and realize it's a bad idea, or fry themselves. But your pokémon gets lucky and manages it once and now he thinks it's a good idea! _

_ In my defense I've told him he's not allowed to do it again for a very long time, _Ash said. _We have a lot of training to do first. _

_ Spoilsport, _Pikachu said, sticking out his tongue at Ash.

_That's good, but why try it again? _Bulbasaur asked. _It ain't like you can use it most of the time. You have to be outdoors during a storm. _

_ Because it's awesome! _Pikachu exclaimed, throwing up his arms, and grinning. _And this idiot can be surprisingly creative. He'll think of some way to use it. _

_ Do not try and teach Charmander how to make a volcano or to use a wildfire, _Bulbasaur told Ash. _That would be crazy and stupid and wouldn't actually help him. _

_ I was just going to talk to him! _Ash protested.

_ That's all you did to me and I learned how to summon lightning! _Pikachu added.

_We're all doomed, _Bulbasaur groaned.

* * *

"Incoming!" One of Aki's personnel shouted, pointing up at the sky.

Another large rock sailed through the air while Aki and her people scattered. A few pokémon that knew water type attacks fired off pressurized jets of water at the stone, drilling holes in the projectile. Two machops then stepped up. One ran forward and the other knelt down, cupping its hands, and helped the first jump. The machop flew through the air, aiming to intercept the boulder.

There was a shattering sound and the sound of rock grinding against rock as the machop struck the boulder with one precise blow, shattering it in midair. And then there was a whistling sound and the machop turned their head to see a smaller rock that had been thrown in the same arc as the first rock, hurtling right towards him.

_Oh shit! _The machop twisted himself in midair to avoid taking the rock to the head. It hit him in the side. His face went pale and there was a sickening snapping sound from his chest. The machop was sent tumbling back towards the ground.

A beam of red light intercepted the machop before it could hit the ground. The machop's trainer, a woman with blonde hair, turned towards Aki and grimaced.

"I think he's going to be out of the fight for a few days," she told Aki.

"I hate it when the enemy starts getting clever," Aki growled. They had lost one operative and three pokémon to the barrage of rocks. They had lost two more operatives and five pokémon to the onix yesterday.

She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked back in the direction that the rocks had come from. Aki had a good estimate of where the enemy trainers were holed up, on a ridgeline to the west. It was a spot that offered cover, elevation, and plenty of large rocks to hurl with deadly accuracy.

Aki growled deep in her throat. It was too far away, potentially too well defended. They wouldn't be able to launch an assault on the ridgeline, not while they were being pelted with boulders.

"We're going to need to scatter again," she told the people under her command. "We'll regroup in the night, two kilometers northeast from here. Keep an eye to the sky for any flying pokémon, that's probably what they're using as a spotter."

Her people nodded and began to withdraw, each person going their own way. Aki though stayed where she was, right out in the open, looking up at the sky. If she could figure out what pokémon was doing the spotting then she might be able to have Scyther take it out.

If it was a flying type.

Aki knew that there were many conceivable ways that her enemies might be observing her. The enemy might have been using a ghost type hiding invisible in the trees, relaying information to a fast pokémon to run back to their trainers. The enemy might have been using a psychic type detecting her and her team's minds. Or maybe the enemy was using a weaker psychic, to relay the information from a different sort of pokemon observing her and her team.

Aki knew that her team would be more vulnerable after splitting up. At least they would be if her enemies had some pokémon that she hadn't spotted. If enemy didn't have any pokemon that they hadn't already shown, then her people would be safer split up.

Yesterday she had made sure to note the other pokémon that her opponents had brought with the onix. There had been one geodude, one staryu, and one starmie. None of those would make good spotters or scouts, so there was at least one more pokémon, probably the pokémon that had used Gust against Scyther when the onix first appeared, which was probably a flying type. And then either the starmie had used electric attacks or there was one more pokémon.

Or maybe the electric type was with the target? Aki had noticed that there hadn't been any electric attacks yesterday while the onix was attacking them. And the onix had made sure to scatter them then, just as they were scattered now, which would have been an opportune time for the electric type to attack.

Aki had distracted the stone snake and its trainer yesterday with hit and run attacks to stop it from going after her people while they were vulnerable, but if the trainer with the water types had broken off and joined up with the electric type and the flying type, then they could have hunted down and eliminated the scattered elements of Team Rocket's forces.

If the electric type was with the target and the flying type was the spotter, then Aki could save her people by remaining in her enemy's crosshairs again. This would distract the enemy and give her a chance to find the pokémon acting as a spotter.

Another ten minutes ticked by. Another ten minutes of Aki staring at the sky. Another ten minutes of large rocks hurtling through the air. Another ten minutes of her dodging deadly projectiles and their shrapnel as they broke trees and smashed the land.

And then Aki saw it.

Moving between the sharp stones and clods of dirt sent flying by the impact of the latest projectile, she saw something small, up in the sky. It was either a random flying type in the wrong place or it was the spotter.

"Scyther!" She shouted, grabbing her pokéball. While the bug type couldn't fly long distances, but she had trained it to be able to attack aerial targets. White light blazed and the green pokémon with bladed arms stood before her. "See that?" Aki asked, pointing at the speck in the sky.

Her pokémon nodded.

"Go get it!" Aki commanded. Her pokémon nodded again and then leapt into the sky, wings buzzing as it soared towards his target.

Aki watched from the ground as Scyther became little more than a speck himself.

* * *

Zubat had been flying in circles all day, occasionally letting off focused supersonic pings as Brock had trained him to do when he was over a target. Brock had bought a supersonic receiver while he had been in Cerulean City. It was sensitive enough to pick Zubat's pings and could filter out noise on other frequencies. Based off the direction and number of pings, Brock could use the signal to then giving instructions to Onix and Geodude about where they should be aiming.

Zubat had found the whole endeavor to be boring. But Brock was counting on him and Brock made sure to take very good care of him. So Zubat could endure a little boredom while grousing to himself that this would be unnecessary if Geodude and Onix would just learn Supersonic themselves.

And then it suddenly wasn't so boring.

Zubat's supersonic sonar picked up something coming up from the forest below. It was moving fast and it was coming right for him.

Zubat immediately began to wing it back to his trainer. Brock had told him to retreat at the first sign of combat.

But whatever was coming from the ground was faster than him. Zubat could hear a harsh buzzing as it grew closer. And then his sonar got a more accurate image and Zubat could tell that the attacker was a bug type of some sort with bladed arms.

Zubat waited until the approaching pokémon drew near him and then folded his wings in and dove. Bladed limbs whistled through the space he had been, as the newcomer made their first attack, barely missing Zubat.

Zubat let himself fall, furling his wings in to become more aerodynamic. The bug type followed suit, but it was bigger, bulkier. If it wanted to catch Zubat then it would have to fly down instead of letting gravity do its work.

Supersonic waves emitted from Zubat's mouth and engulfed the bug type. The enemy pokémon continued unperturbed, it hadn't seemed to have been affected by Zubat's attack.

Zubat looked down at the forest below. It was getting very close very fast.

He flared out his wings and turned some of his vertical momentum into horizontal momentum. He zipped through trees, dying leaves and healthy pine needles brushing over the pokémon's skin as the flew through small openings between branches in the autumn forest.

He could hear the sounds of snapping branches and rustling leaves behind him. Zubat's sonar told him that his enemy was no longer flying after him. Instead it was leaping from branch to branch as it chased him, bladed arms cutting through the forest as it somehow managed to gain on Zubat.

Zubat unleashed another Supersonic, leaving a harsh, intolerable ringing sound echoing through the forest, but it had no more effect than the first. Zubat then forced himself to the side, wings starting to burn from exhaustion. The tip of his foe's blade carved a shallow furrow of fiery pain into Zubat's back.

Zubat cried out and spasmed in pain, but the wounded pokémon forced itself to keep flying. He swept upward into the branches of a pine tree. His green opponent tried to follow, but the density of the branches finally slowed him down just enough for Zubat to put some distance between them.

The chase resumed, Zubat swooping and swearing between branches and his pursuer slicing through them like they weren't there. They wound their way through the forest, making their way to the ridgeline where Brock and Misty were camped.

Zubat's wings ached with each stroke. His cut was a line of fire down his back. Sweat covered his body, drops flying off of his wings.

The green pokémon pursuing him didn't seem tired. The green pokémon wasn't wounded. The green pokémon continued to pursue him with the same speed and power that it had always had.

Zubat fluttered down and came to rest on a branch, too tired to keep going. He turned and faced his foe. The blue and purple pokémon drew in one last deep breath. His foe got closer, blades at the ready to slash Zubat to pieces.

And then Zubat fired off the most powerful Supersonic he could. His opponent actually flinched under the concentrated sound and tumbled out of the air. It managed to land on its feet and then stagger drunkenly into a tree.

Zubat huffed and took off, forcing himself to fly fast again. He took the opportunity presented by his pursuer's confusion to slip away.

* * *

"I'm so sorry," Brock cooed to Zubat, spraying a potion on the cut on his back. "I didn't think they would be able to reach you up there. They didn't use any flying types yesterday."

"It must have been that scyther," Misty pointed out, looking at the cut. "At least I think that's what it's called….."

"I think that's what's it's called too," Brock said, gently stroking Zubat's head. "We won't be able to use this tactic again."

"We'll have to get in close again," Misty turned away so Brock couldn't see her grimace.

"Honestly, we might not have to," Brock said, turning his gaze away from Zubat to look at Misty. "As long as they're not going after Aaron for the next few days, we don't have to fight them."

"But we should," Misty argued, still not facing Brock. "It's safer for Aaron and Melanie if we fight."

"It is," Brock agreed hesitantly.

Misty drew in a deep breath. "So that's what we'll do," she said.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist92G10 for beta reading

Things in real life are heating up, so I'm going to take the next week off from releasing.

Don't forget to review!


	22. Chapter 22

The sun was setting as Ash walked at the head of the group of travelers, next to Aoba on Tauros. Melanie was busy making sure that the magikarp in their group was alright after being carried for so long. Some of the Squirtle Squad walked with Ash in front and the rest joined Bulbasaur in bringing up the rear.

Ash fidgeted and played with his coat while he hiked next to the wounded man. Pikachu gently snored from on top his head. Aoba looked straight ahead, wincing whenever Tauros moved too roughly for his wounds.

"So, uh," Ash began, "you really have no idea why Team Rocket wants you?" And then Ash thought about what he had said and then winced. He of all people shouldn't be asking about that….

Aoba was silent at first and Ash hoped that the man hadn't heard him. And then Aoba decided to speak. "No, not really," the man said in a tight, tired, voice.

"Oh," Ash replied, looking down at the path ahead.

"I-" Aoba continued hesitantly, "I might have a guess, but that was before I knew it was Team Rocket."

"What is it?" Ash asked, looking over at the man. Aoba didn't meet his gaze, face pale, and looking sicker than usual.

"I don't want to discuss it," the man grunted out. "I- I just don't see how it could be connected to Team Rocket, that's all."

Ash just shrugged. They walked in silence for another minute or so before Ash opened his mouth again.

"Who's Ted?" The boy asked the man.

He might as well have punched the man. Aoba flinched and his eyes squeezed closed. He drew in a ragged deep breath.

"How did you hear that name?" Aoba managed to squeeze out.

"Um, we heard you calling for them in your sleep," Ash said, eyes widening.

"Ted," Aoba clenched his hands tight in Tauros's fur, "Ted, he was my lover. He's dead."

"I'm sorry," Ash said automatically.

"We were together five years," Aoba continued, eyes wet. His voice was heavy and raw. Each word was spoken like it hurt the man to say. "And he died from poison that was meant for me."

Ash didn't know what to say to that. Ash didn't know if there was anything to be said to that.

Their journey continued for another minute of awkward silence on Ash's part and silent tears on Aoba's part. Ash was regretting ever having opened his mouth.

Still, one more thing was nagging at him….

"Five years and you didn't marry him?" Ash asked. "Uh….. isn't that-"

This time Aoba laughed through his tears. It wasn't a very typical laugh. It was ugly, and desperate, and the tears hadn't ceased, but there was an undercurrent of honest surprise that cut through everything else, and a tiny hint of actual joy.

"He's, he was from Johto," Aoba managed to choke out between sobs and laughs. "They do things a bit differently there."

"Huh?" Ash's limited education had mainly been about Kanto and Hoenn to a lesser extent. He had no idea what Aoba was talking about.

"Marriage, or at least that sort of marriage, was usually reserved for nobility in Johto," Aoba managed to say eventually. "It never caught on with the masses like it did in Kanto, even when they were part of the same country before the Great War. Instead there was another ceremony that they had if someone and their partner or partners had a child. Or if they adopted a child."

"Oh," Ash replied. His limited education had never covered such topics. "Errr…. Do you know why it's different over there?"

"I was a biochemist, not a historian," Aoba smiling for the first time since Ash had seen him. "I don't know why the two regions are different. I'm just glad that he wasn't from Sinnoh."

"Why?"

"They don't do weddings so much as wedding festivals there," Aoba said, smiling and gently laughing at some memory. "The people getting married, and their families, have to provide a weeks' worth of fireworks, food, ceremony, and dancing. That would have been a nightmare to arrange."

"Oh," Ash replied, not sure if he should be daunted by the logistical requirements or not.

"Still it would have been….." Aoba's smile disappeared as his voice trailed off. "It would have been…"

"What? What would it have been?" Ash asked, but Aoba didn't answer. Instead silent tears fell onto Tauro's back.

* * *

_I think we've got company, _Pidgeotto said, fluttering down to land on Ash's arm.

Ash, Melanie, Aoba, and all the pokémon from the village were standing by a small creek. The sun was low in the sky and they had decided to stop there for the night. Ash had sent Pidgeotto out on one more patrol and everyone had gathered when he had told them that she was returning.

"Did you see anything?" Ash asked, looking at Melanie and Aoba out of the corner of his eyes.

_Right, forgot about that whole thing, _Pidgeotto said, picking up on the hint and nodding.

_This is really annoying, _Pikachu commented from on top of Ash's head. _Maybe Butterfree could 'accidently' put them to sleep for a few minutes so we could skip all these question games…._

"Did it look like people?" Ash continued, ignoring Pikachu.

Pidgeotto nodded.

"Did it look like they were the people from before?"

Again, Pidgeotto nodded. Melanie let out a little gasp, before covering her mouth with her hand.

"Could you tell if they were following us?" Ash asked.

_They were, _Pidgeotto nodded again, looking annoyed. _Wow, Pikachu was right, this really is annoying. _

_ Right! _Pikachu interjected.

Ash turned to Melanie and Aoba, ignoring his pokémon's commentary.

"So, they've found our trail," Melanie said. "How many did you see?"

_I saw five- oh wait, I need to do this, _Pidgeotto rolled her eyes and then pecked Ash's hair five times.

"Hey, quit that," Ash said trying to fend her off with his other arm.

"Only five?" Aoba said.

"Brock and Misty must be dealing with the rest," Melanie said.

"Did you see what pokémon they had?" Ash asked, after Pidgeotto had quit pecking his hair.

Pidgeotto shook her head.

_There might have been more people that your pokémon didn't see, _Bulbasaur spoke up from his spot by Melanie.

"Hmmm….. I'm guessing that was about things Pidgeotto didn't see?" Melanie asked.

_Yes, _Bulbasaur nodded, and then pokéd at her with one of his vines. She giggled and then spoke again.

"About people that Pidgeotto didn't see?" Melanie continued. Bulbasaur nodded.

"I guess it's true, if you spend enough time with a pokémon you can start to understand them," Aoba commented from his spot sitting against a tree.

"Well I certainly know what Bulbasaur tends to think about," Melanie replied, looking down at the grass type and smiling. "Or should I say, worry about."

_Someone's got to stay on top of things, _Bulbasaur grumbled.

"How close were they?" Ash asked Pidgeotto. And then he remembered that he wasn't supposed to understand her answer clearly and went on. "Could they reach us in a day?"

_Yes, _Pidgeotto said, nodding.

"Less than a day?"

_Yes, _Pidgeotto said. _Maybe four hours?_

"How many hours out are they," Ash asked.

_She just told you….. _Pikachu groaned. _Couldn't we do this without the other humans? _

_I know, _Pidgeotto agreed, pecking at Ash's hair four times; the boy didn't remember to shield himself until it was too late. _This is really tedious. Is this how it's like for normal trainers? _

_ A little bit, _Bulbasaur spoke up. _But as they've mentioned, when you've been with a human for a while they can understand what you mean even if they don't know what you actually said. _

"Should we keep moving?" Melanie asked, looking around the forest like Team Rocket might burst out of the trees at any moment. She then glanced over at Aoba, who had done his best to put on a stoic expression, but couldn't hide the way his face paled at the suggestion. "Or maybe not."

_We should just keep watch, _Bulbasaur said, pointing to one of his eyes with a vine.

"You want us to keep watch?" Ash grimaced. "I guess we have to."

_Oh, quit your whining, _Bulbasaur grumbled, rolling his eyes. _You can have first watch since you're such a delicate little flower. _

_ Don't worry about waking up, _Pikachu added, gently tapping the back of Ash's head. _I can give you a 'jump start' if you need it._

Ash groaned. It looked like he'd have to get used to being tired.

* * *

Ash was sitting down as the sun finished the last stages of its journey. He poked at the remains of his dinner, a combination of dried fruits and dried meats. His pokémon sat around him, digging into their pokéchow with obvious relish.

Ash looked at the happy faces of his pokémon. He looked at his own dinner.

_Life isn't fair, _Ash groaned.

_It isn't? _Butterfree asked, perking up.

_I don't know, I think it's going pretty well, _Pidgeotto replied, picking her head up from her food.

Pikachu just rolled his eyes and continued to stuff his face into his food.

_We're being hunted, again, _Ash grumbled, _we're not going to get enough sleep-_

_ We aren't? _Butterfree asked.

_He has to stand watch tonight, _Pidgeotto informed Butterfree.

_Oh, _Butterfree said. He stood there for a second, pondering. _But what does that have to do with the rest of us sleeping? _

_ Absolutely nothing, _Pikachu popped his head up from his food, an evil grin on his face.

Ash groaned and then glared at his devilish pokémon. Pikachu just kept grinning.

_Can I help? _Butterfree asked, fluttering over to his trainer.

_With watch? _

_ Yes! _Butterfree trilled. _I can stand part of your watch for you. _

_ Thanks, Ash gave the bug type a soft smile and reached out to gently rub his head. But we need a human to do it, so that they can shout a warning that everyone can understand._

_ Okay, _Butterfree replied, his antennas drooping slightly. _Is there anything else I can do? _

_ Sorry, _Ash said, still rubbing the bug type's head. _But I got this. _

_ Are you sure? _Butterfree nuzzled the side of Ash's face. _I can't imagine that this is easy for you_

_ You're right, _Pidgeotto piped up. _I didn't think about the fact that you're being hunted again. You don't seem bothered by this, but are you just hiding it? _

_ No, _Ash shook his head. _I talked with Pikachu about this a little. Short version, I don't want anyone to be hunted. And, quite frankly, I don't think I'm scared of Team Rocket anymore. I mean, we've what, beat them three times now? Well, the second time was more of a draw, but…_

_ You were really scared the first time though, _Butterfree pointed out.

_Yeah, but you guys showed me that I didn't need to be, _Ash replied, reaching out to hug Butterfree and Pidgeotto.

_ What, no hugs for me? _Pikachu crossed his forelegs and pouted.

_You get plenty of hugs, _Pidgeotto pointed out from within Ash's arms. _More than the rest of us in fact. It's our turn for hugs right now. _

_ Yeah! _Butterfree exclaimed.

_Oh, fine, I guess I should take pity on the easily electrocuted flying types, every now and then, _Pikachu sighed. _I guess I can let you borrow my idiot for a while. _

_ Our idiot you mean, _Pidgeotto corrected.

_I don't think Ash is an idiot! _Butterfree added.

_Thank you Butterfree, _Ash said, lopsided grin on his face.

_ At least not most of the time, _Butterfree continued.

_ Hey!_

* * *

Dawn's light arrived far too early for Ash. He felt like he had just laid down his head, after his watch had ended, and now it was morning. The poké-raised child groaned and sat up, stretching. He looked around, hoping to see Brock, with a hot plate full of breakfast, and then remembered that the other human male was hopefully attacking the main force of Team Rocket.

_Finally, _Pikachu yawned from next to Ash's sleeping bag. _I thought you were going to sleep forever. _

_ I'm sorry that I had to keep watch while you went right to sleep, _Ash glowered. _Next time we can trade places. _

_ Nah, I'm good, _Pikachu replied. _You stare at trees and worry, while I get to sleep. _

_ Why did I want to become a pokémon trainer again? _Ash groaned, looking up at the clear sky above.

_I'm guessing you weren't expecting to have to put up with such a pikachu, _Bulbasaur said from where he had been sleeping nearby.

_Electric types always have such a high opinion of themselves, _Squirtle yawned, getting up from the pile of shells where he and his squad had been sleeping.

_Well, I d-don't think Pikachu's too bad, _Charmander said, picking himself up from where he had been sleeping, snuggled up against Tauros. _But he could be nicer to Ash. _

_ Ash could stand to be nicer to me, _Pikachu protested. _Under his harsh training regimen, I've stopped gaining weight. My perfectly plump pikachu figure is at risk here! You need to start feeding me more stat! _

_ You'll survive, _Ash said in a deadpan tone, gently poking Pikachu's stomach. _Besides, you might gain more weight if you spent more time in your pokéball. _

_ Never!_

_ Would that really make a difference? _Squirtle asked Ash. _You let him ride you everywhere after all._

_ It would shut him up, which is a worthy goal in and of itself, _Bulbasaur said.

_Surrounded by enemies on all sides, _Pikachu fell back, the back of his forepaw against his forehead. _Hopeless and alone. What's a pikachu to do? _

_ Miss breakfast on account of being a drama queen, _Ash suggested, digging in his pack for something to eat. He pulled out some of the energy bars that Misty and Brock had lent him and grimaced.

_How much do you like pokéchow? _Ash asked Pikachu.

_It's not as good as pastries, but it's okay, _Pikachu answered, picking himself up from his mock-faint. _Why? _

_ Just wondering, _Ash sighed, getting out some bags of pokéchow for the rest of his pokémon.

Ash let out Butterfree and Pidgeotto and poured out some food for each of his pokémon. While they dug into the food Ash gingerly unwrapped the energy, took a bite, and gagged. It tasted like cardboard. It was worse than some of the edible raw roots Poison Lance had occasionally foraged. It was heavy and an absolute pain to chew.

_Ah, _Pidgeotto sighed as she gobbled down some of her food. _Nothing like a good meal… _

_ Nothing like a good meal indeed, _Ash muttered, glaring at his miserable excuse for breakfast.

_Does everyone feel up to fighting today? _Bulbasaur asked the group of pokémon and one human while they all ate.

_ You think they're going to attack today? _Butterfree asked.

_No, but we know they're out there, _Bulbasaur replied. _They might attack at any time. We'll want to have Pidgeotto fly close patrols at all times. _

_ Butterfree, you should also stay out today, so you can focus on trying to sense the enemy, _Ash added. _Stick close to Melanie so you can protect her. _

_ That's my job! _Charmander protested.

_Butterfree can help you then, _Ash replied, gesturing to the bug type with the hand holding the energy par. _Bulbasaur, you and I should stick close to Aoba. Between you and Pikachu we should be able to stop most of their pokémon if we can react in time. _

_ We should also have at least one member of the Squirtle Squad with us, _Bulbasaur suggested. _To cover more possible type advantages. _

_ That would help, but I thought they'd have to guard wherever we aren't, _Ash replied. _I mean Tauros usually leads the way to clear a path, Aoba rides him because no one else can carry him, and Melanie's in the middle to make sure all of the pokémon from the village are okay. So, I thought most of the Squirtle Squad would guard the rear. _

_ We can do that, _Squirtle said.

_And we'd want the rest scattered throughout the pokémon from the village to make sure that they're safe, _Ash went on. _Plus, that means they won't be able to take out the squad with one attack that has type advantage. _

_ I'm pretty sure they don't have any pokémon that could do that to us, or they would have fought us with them already, _Squirtle pointed out between bites.

_ No, Ash is right, _Bulbasaur said. _The attack on the cave was just meant to drive us out into the open. If they had a pokémon that could take out the squad it would have been saved for that. _

_ But then it was probably squished by Onix, _Pidgeotto stated.

_I don't know, _Ash said, chewing on one side of his mouth. _We didn't see who got away. We didn't even really see who we- who we did get. _

_ Then maybe they should split up even more, _Butterfree suggested.

_But then we won't be fighting at our best, _Squirtle replied.

_Yep, we've got to do our best to balance things out, _Ash said. _But that's why Pidgeotto and Butterfree are going to be important today. If we know what they're sending after us then we'll know if the squad's in danger. _

_We can stay spread out even while guarding the rear of the group, _Squirtle added. _It's not perfect, but it should help. We can regroup quickly enough when trouble comes calling. _

_ So, is that everything? _Ash asked. _We got Butterfree and Charmander with Melanie, _the boy said, counting things out on his fingers, _Pidgeotto on short range patrols, Pikachu, me, and Bulbasaur with Aoba, and part of the Squirtle Squad mixed in with everyone else, with the rest guarding the rear? Am I forgetting anyone? _

_ Nope, _Squirtle replied.

_Alright, _Ash said stretching and fighting a yawn. _I'll go wake up Melanie and Aoba and then we can get going._

* * *

The group from the village spent another day traversing the forests between Saffron City and Vermillion City. The valleys and ridges from around Melanie's village gave way to a gentle downwards slope and finally to tree dominated flatlands. Puffs of cloud drifted lazily overhead in the deep blue of the sky. The group could hear flying types in the trees again as they traveled.

Morning passed without incident. Ash had another energy bar for lunch and his taste buds hated him for it. The herbivorous pokémon from the village foraged as they traveled and the others would have to wait until they stopped for the night.

Pidgeotto made sure to stay in sight as she circled party, keeping an eye out for their pursuers. She dropped back in to rest on Ash and reassure the group that she hadn't seen anything worrisome. The Squirtle Squad played and bickered amongst themselves. Butterfree alternated between fluttering by Melanie and resting on her back or shoulders. Pikachu took a nap on Ash's head.

Their peaceful start to the journey was almost enough to make them forget they were being hunted.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading.

This part was originally meant to be the first part of a longer chapter, but plans changed.

Next week's chapter should come out on schedule.

Don't forget to review!

:AN


	23. Chapter 23

"Alright Shortstuff, show me what you see," a woman knelt down by her pokémon while Dave and the rest of the team watched. It was a tiny thing with a white body, a green head with two pink protrusions sticking out, one on the front of its head and one on the back, a ralts.

The ralts nodded and then a gentle purple glow began to emit from its head. A similar glow enveloped the head of the green haired woman from Team Rocket. She was silent for a few minutes and then she spoke.

"I'm seeing that the primary target is on a tauros near the front of the group. I can't get a good look at him, but I think he's unwell. There's either a child or a short person walking next to him, with a pikachu on his head. There was another pokémon with them, but I couldn't make it out."

"Okay, Anne" Dave said, nodding to himself. He went over his mental roster of the pokémon available to their group while Anne and Shortstuff began working again.

"The secondary target is in the middle of their group," Anne said after another minute. "There's what I think is a bug type with her. I can't make anything else out."

"Anything else?" Dave asked, making more plans while Anne conferred with her pokémon one last time.

"There's a group of squirtles in back," Anne told him. "Five I think."

"We counted eleven when we drove them out of the cave," Dave said. "Did you see where the others were?"

"No," Anne replied, shaking her head. "Shortstuff? Did you see any?"

The ralts nodded and there was another purple glow. Anne turned back to Dave and said, "Shortstuff indicates that there's at least one or two mixed in with the other pokémon."

"Which leaves four or five unaccounted for," Dave mused. "They're either with the onix and its trainer or their mixed in with the non-combatant pokémon."

"What's the plan boss?" One of the other members of this team asked.

Dave thought for another few minutes before speaking. "Here's what we're going to do…."

* * *

It was early in the afternoon when it happened. Butterfree's head perked up from his perch on Melanie's back as something tickled the edge of his senses.

_I sense something! _Butterfree shouted.

And then the chaos began.

* * *

_ We've got company! _Pidgeotto said, coming to land on Tauros.

"You saw something?" Ash asked, remembering to preserve his cover. His flying type nodded. "Everyone get ready!"

The poké-raised child had barely finished speaking when there was a flare of orange light and the crackle of flames ahead of him. A ball of fire burst out of the trees, heading straight for Bulbasaur.

_Mine! _Pikachu shouted, unleashing a Thunderbolt attack as a counter. The spear of buzzing yellow power blasted through the center of the fireball, dispersing the attack into rings of falling embers.

"Pidgeotto Gust!" Ash commanded. At his word Pidgeotto flapped her wings and summoned up a small tornado. Winds whipping up fallen leaves and twigs, the attack raced forward into the forest where the fireball had come from.

Something small, grey, and shiny sped out of the forest. Glowing claws flashed and intercepted the Gust attack, dispersing it into wisps of wind.

In the same moment, a brace of needles lanced out of the forest, forcing Ash, Aoba, and Tauros to dodge.

Ash threw himself to the right and under the needles, with no problem. The wounded biochemist, however, lost his grip on Tauros and tumbled to the forest ground. Aoba let out a cry of pain and curled up on his side.

"Thunder Wave!" Ash cried out as he got out his pokédex to identify the attacking pokémon. Pikachu let loose rings of electric power that flew towards the small grey pokémon. But the pokémon ran back around a tree, letting the rings earth themselves in the trunk, and then dashed back the way it came.

_Darkai's cruelty! _Ash swore. He began to crawl over to Aoba, giving more orders as he did so. "Pikachu, shock the next pokémon that comes out! Pidgeotto I need you to stop any more Poison Sting attacks with your Gusts!"

_Wait a moment with those Gusts, _Bulbasaur growled. Razor Leaves shot out from under his bulb, a brace of razor-sharp greenery cutting through the forest, felling branches and leaves alike. Ash heard someone swearing and the sounds of something human sized crashing through a bush.

"Pikachu, Thundershock over there!" Ash shouted, pointing in the direction that he had heard the noise.

Tendrils of buzzing yellow power zapped out from Pikachu, twisting around trees and branches. There was a human scream of pain.

An orange blob with yellow eyes, surrounded by a cloak of flames, shot out of the forest, heading right at Pikachu. Pikachu stopped his Thundershock attack and leapt to the side avoiding the charging pokémon.

Ash watched the charging pokémon pass through a tree trunk without issue and realized that it had been a trick using Double-Team and a fire attack. But his pokédex was able to get a brief scan of the illusionary pokémon, reporting that it was a slugma.

"Pidgeotto, Gust again! Bulbasaur, we could use some cover from you too!" Ash ordered, pointing in the direction that the slugma had come from. While his pokémon whipped up another windstorm, and Bulbasaur threw out more cutting leaves, Ash reached Aoba. The man was breathing heavily, covered in sweat and pale from what Ash guessed was pain.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," Ash told the man. "Can you get up?"

"I- I- I can try," Aoba managed to grunt out, hissing the last word. He rolled to his front and let out a gasp of pain.

"Pikachu!" Ash said. "Get over here!"

Pikachu dashed over to him, without comment for once.

"I need you to do something," Ash whispered to his pokémon. "When Aoba stands up, I'm going to have Pidgeotto surround us with a Gust. If they send out that pokémon to attack it again, I need you to Thunderwave it."

_Got it, _Pikachu said nodding.

"Good, now throw out a few Thundershocks," Ash told his starter. "Make them think that you're just shocking at random."

_On it! _Pikachu said, dashing away again, cheeks sparking. His Thundershocks joined Pidgeotto's Gusts and Bulbasaur's Razor Leaves.

Aoba had gotten to his hands and knees while Ash was giving orders, panting heavily. Sweat dripped off of his face. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to keep moving.

"Do you need help?" Ash asked, kneeling by the man.

"Yes," Aoba said reaching out an arm, voice thin and strained. Ash took it and then stood up. Aoba let out a strangled noise of pain, letting himself lean heavily on Ash.

"Pidgeotto, surround us with Gust!" Ash ordered as he stood up. A windstorm surrounded the two humans just before another brace of needles shot out of the forest. The thin silver blades were caught up in the miniature tornado and were scattered into the forest.

Ash began to limp back towards the center of the group, struggling under Aoba's weight as he went. Pidgeotto's eyes narrowed in concentration as she flapped her wings some more, using the same control over air that allowed her to summon the small storm to steer it and have it keep pace with Ash and Aoba.

Once again, the small grey pokémon burst out of the forest, claws alight. But this time Pikachu was ready. Rings of electric power intercepted the pokémon, locking down its body and covering it in sparks. Ash quickly had his pokédex scan the pokémon as it crashed into the ground, revealing it to be a pokémon called an aron.

Needles shot out of the forest again, a veritable hail of silvery spikes. Pikachu ducked behind Pidgeotto's attack for cover, with the flying type following suit. Bulbasaur grit his teeth and responded with a barrage of Razor Leaves, taking several needles to the body without flinching.

Another fireball sped out of the forest, finally convincing Bulbasaur to dodge by grabbing a nearby tree with his vines and yanking himself out of the way.

A horned purple pokémon dashed out of the forest on four legs, a pokémon that Ash recognized as a nidorino. It grabbed the aron in its mouth and then turned back the way it came. More fire came from the forest, forcing Ash's pokémon and Bulbasaur to keep their heads down while the nidorino and the aron escaped.

_No, you don't! _Bulbasaur cried out flinging two Razor Leaves into the air. Vines lashed out, striking the leaves in midair, blasting them forward. They cut straight through tree trunks and branches a like, puncturing a path through the forest.

"Did you get them?" Ash asked, still trying to lead an increasingly unresponsive Aoba away.

_I don't think so, _Bulbasaur growled.

Pidgeotto renewed her Gust attack protecting Ash and Aoba, but there was no further enemy activity as they made their way back to the center of the group.

* * *

_Get away from her! _Charmander shouted, clawing at the vines that had wrapped themselves around Melanie's throat and wrists. Sap and other juices stained his claws as he cut into the fibers, eliciting hisses of pain from the pokémon hidden in the trees.

Melanie fell to her knees, gasping for air and massaging her throat as the vines withdrew. Charmander turned to look in the direction the attacks had come from. He could make out what looked like a bellsprout hanging from one of the upper branches.

There was some sort of commotion behind him, but Charmander didn't turn around. Instead he opened his mouth and unleashed a stream of small flames. Leaves shriveled and burned on the tree but the bellsprout hopped away from the Ember attack.

More noise came from behind him and Charmander turned to look at what was happening. A duo of zubats hovered on the other side of the group, mouths open as they let loose with their Supersonic attacks. But a glowing Butterfree hovered between them, Charmander, and Melanie. While that was happening, the other pokémon from the village were either fleeing into the forest, running aimlessly, or cowering on the ground.

Charmander didn't know what Buttefree was doing, but neither he nor the other pokémon from the village were suffering from the effects of Supersonic, so whatever it was, it must have been working. The fire type returned his attention to where the bellsprouts had been.

A silvery glittering powder was issuing from somewhere in the trees; a Sleep Powder attack. Melanie drunkenly staggered in the shower of dust, trying to escape.

_I said, get away from her! _Charmander growled. He desired nothing more than to draw in a deep breath and burn all the powder away from her with a Flamethrower attack. But his Flamethrower was just an imitation of the real thing; It couldn't clear away the insidious glittering powder.

Instead Charmander took a deep breath, held it, and ran over to help Melanie stagger out of the affected area. Vines reached out of the trees once more and Charmander frantically slashed at them while fleeing.

Melanie let herself fall onto her face as soon as they free of the glittering dust, while Charmander panicked. He tried shaking her, but she only groaned.

And then Charmander was yanked off of his feet by a vine around his neck. Choking and struggling, claws digging into the dirt in a futile attempt to gain purchase, Charmander was dragged back into the Sleep Powder.

More vines wrapped around his limbs, immobilizing him. They painfully dug into his wrists and ankles, cutting off circulation. His throat hurt as vines tightened and everything started going faint. Charmander choked and gasped for breath, inhaling Sleep Powder as he did so.

A cubone popped out of the earth, just past Charmander. The fire type could see it raise its' bone club overhead, aiming at the prone Melaine. Charmander tried to do stop it, tried to do anything to stop it, tried to use his claws, tried to use his flames, tried everything he could to escape.

But the vines held firm.

But Cubone's club didn't move. Charmander noticed a faint purple glow around the bone. The cubone growled and began to struggle with the weapon.

_Stop that! _Butterfree shouted. The two zubats he had been fighting were slowly picking themselves up off the ground. Cubone wretched on its bone club, but Butterfree's psychic grip was unrelenting.

Cubone yanked again, managing to free its club. It held the bone aloft for a moment in victory. And missed the fact that Butterfree was rocketing right for it! There was the thud of flesh hitting flesh and Cubone was sent sliding back, before losing its balance, and its journey continued as a tumble back into the forest.

The edges of Charmander's vision were going dark, his wrists and ankles were circles of cutting pain and he couldn't feel his extremities. He had given up on trying to fight the vines, he just tried to take futile breath after futile breath.

Charmander didn't notice the faint purple glow surround the vines. But he did notice when their pressure lessened and vanished. Charmander collapsed to the ground, face right in the Sleep Powder. He tried to take a deep breath, but now something invisible and somehow intangible was covering his face, preventing him from breathing.

_Don't breathe the Sleep Powder! _Butterfree cautioned from afar. _Get out of there! _

Charmander scrambled forward, out of the area with the powder and took in a deep breath, tears leaking from his eyes. He turned around to see two bellsprouts picking themselves off the ground. Evidently Butterfree had yanked them from their perches.

_Burn! _Charmander cried out in a high-pitched voice. Another Ember attack was unleashed. A stream of small flames engulfed the closest bellsprout, making it shriek in and writhe in pain as it tried to crawl away. The other bellsprout grabbed it with its vines and threw it back into the forest.

Vines reached out for Charmander again, but the fire type turned his attack on them. The remaining bellsprout cried out in pain before retracted the vines and running back into the forest.

Charmander turned back to check on Butterfree. The two zubats had resumed their attacks and once again a glowing Butterfree interposed himself between them and everyone else in the group.

Many of the pokémon from the village had gathered around the prone Melanie. Some were huddled together and crying. Others clung to the fallen woman still on the dirt, crying and keening for her and getting no answer.

Out of the corner of his eye Charmander saw water splash and could hear the sounds of the of the Squirtle Squad, who were guarding some of the other pokémon near the center of their little caravan, fighting. He heard more zubats screeching and the sound of loud, buzzing, wings.

The fire type turned to help Butterfree. He drew in another breath, prepared to unleash an Ember attack at the-

Charmander was on the ground and the back of his head felt like it had been split open. Pain flooded through him and his vision grew dark once again. He tried to move; his limbs wouldn't obey him. The pain was overwhelming.

The cubone stepped past the downed fire-type, bone club in hand.

It drew back its club, ready to hurl it at the bug-type locked in combat with the two zubats.

Once again Charmander was helpless.

Too weak to assist anyone. Too weak to help himself. Too weak to keep friends.

He was worthless! Just like Damien had kept saying!

Charmander let slip a keening cry as he slowly pulled himself forward, reaching out to try and grab the bone club before Cubone could throw it.

The ground type threw its weapon and Charmander knew that he was a failure.

* * *

"Pidgeotto go!" Ash shouted when he saw what was going on. He had been helping Aoba back to where Melanie should be when he and the pokémon with him had heard further sounds of battle. They stumbled through the trees and into the fight.

There was no sign of the blue haired woman, just a huddle of pokémon from the village.

But there were two zubats fighting Butterfree and Charmander was on the ground next to a cubone preparing to attack.

Pidgeotto blasted forward, a streak of brown, managing to knock the bone club off course, sending it careening into a tree next to the two zubats. Branches shook, twigs snapped and dead leaves rained down. The attacking pokémon turned to Ash, Aoba, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu.

"Thundershock the zubats!" Ash ordered.

Yellow light flared and one of the zubats was engulfed in buzzing electric power. Singed and limp, it fell to the ground. The other managed to dodge. It opened its mouth, not to unleash a supersonic attack, but instead to shout something.

_I'm hearing the order to retreat! _The zubat shouted. _Everyone get back to your trainers! Cubone, grab Zubat and run! _

"Again Pikachu!" Ash shouted. "Don't let them get away!"

_Lucky guess! _Zubat cried out, trying to dodge into the trees. But Pikachu's Thundershock followed it, blasting it out of the air with a flash of yellow light.

_All up to me…. Like usual, _the Cubone sighed. Bulbasaur unleashed a brace of Razor Leaves, but the Cubone had already used Dig to dive into the earth.

"Bulbasaur, the zubats!" Ash shouted. "It's going to try and get them!"

_I know! _Bulbasaur growled, firing off another burst of Razor Leaves. They arced upwards and then shot down all around the two downed zubats. But Cubone was quicker, managing to retrieve the nearest zubat, and escape, leaves almost brushing against its arms before they embedded themselves in the ground. The other zubat was sheltered from Bulbasaur's attack by the canopy of a nearby tree.

Bulbasaur growled and attacked again. Cubone grabbed the other zubat and dashed into the forest. It ducked behind a tree, leaves cutting into the trunk, and then Ash saw dirt go flying. The cubone didn't remerge and Ash figured that it had used Dig to escape.

"We're gong to need to find Melanie" Ash said.

_We're going to need to find Melanie! _Bulbasaur shouted at the same time. The grass type sprinted forward while Ash gently lowered Aoba to the ground.

_Melanie! _Bulbasaur shouted from amidst the huddle of pokémon. Ash rushed over to find the woman face down in the dirt, spots of blood on the ground around her head. Bulbasaur's vines were out and he frantically flipped the human over.

The blue haired woman was limp, but Ash could see that she was still breathing.

_It's Sleep Powder, _Butterfree explained, fluttering over. _She should be fine. But you've got other things to worry about. I think our rearguard is being attacked as well. _

"We've got to go help them," Ash declared. "Come on, we'll make sure they're alright later."

_Squirtles! _Bulbasaur roared. The members of the Squirtle Squad that had been previously engaged in their own battles, now were free to rush over at Bulbasaur's command.

_Make sure nothing happens to her, _Bulbasaur growled. _I've got to go take care of your glorious leader._

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Blackcatspecialist for beta reading.

I'd also like to thank everyone who left a review! I generally don't reply unless I think there's a particular need to, but I do read them all and enjoy getting them!

And on that note, don't forget to review! :AN


	24. Chapter 24

_ Is this- _Squirtle shouted, dodging whipping vines from a bellsprout -_the best you've got_? Another member of the Squirtle Squad withdrew into their shell and jetted over at the grass type.

A machop jumped in the way of the attack, backhanding the squirtle. She was sent spiraling back the way she came and the bellsprout withdrew into the forest. Two more squirtles jumped forward, blasting at the fighting type with Water Gun attacks.

The machop leaned to the side and twisted its body, letting the two jets of blue-white frothing water pass it by on either side. Squirtle took the opportunity to aid his squad mates with his own Water Gun attack, blasting at the machop with a pressured stream of water while it couldn't dodge!

But a blue pokémon with a wide tail and a black and white spiral on its front, a poliwag, jumped in front of the machop. It took the Water Gun attack head on. Instead of splattering off the water type, Squirtle's attack was sucked up by the poliwag's Water Absorb ability.

_That's just not playing fair, _Squirtle muttered. He flipped over, withdrawing into his shell as he did so, and propelled upwards on a pillar of water. Arcs of blue-white light passed through the space he had been, a Psywave attack from the poliwag.

_Everybody hit them! _Squirtle ordered as he emerged from his shell in midair. His cheeks puffed out and then he blasted at the machop with another pressurized fountain of water. The machop ducked behind the poliwag.

Two more members of the Squirtle Squad withdrew into their shells and blasted forwards using jets of water. They came speeding in on either side of the group of enemies.

Two sets of vines snapped out of the forest, whipping the squirtles away from the poliwag and machop. Both the machop and poliwag smirked as they watched the attacks fail.

_You forgot about me! _The squirtle that machop had backhanded earlier came blasting back into the battle, smashing into the poliwag. The poliwag let out a screech of pain as it folded around the point of impact. It was sent flying backwards, eventually skidding to a halt in a pile of dead leaves.

Machop moved to assist, but a Water Gun attack caught it in the chest. The fighting type was blasted off of its feet.

_Everyone on that poliwag! _Squirtle ordered as he landed. He withdrew into his shell and jetted at the enemy water type. He was joined by the squirtle who had hit the machop with the Water Gun. They were two blue blurs trailed by jets of water as they sped over the forest floor at the poliwag.

They smacked into the poliwag as it picked itself up, hard shells thudding into soft flesh. The poliwag's eyes bulged and it let out a soundless gasp of pain.

And then the two squirtles increased the intensity of their water jets, carrying the poliwag with them on their flight. Caught on the two shells, the poliwag was carried into the air. Trees whizzed past on either side as the three flew forward.

With a resounding slam that shook the forest, the two squirltes smashed the poliwag into an old oak. Leaves were shaken off the nearby branches, surrounding everyone in a shower of red, orange, and brown. The two squirltes came out of their shells and jumped back from the prone poliwag.

_Get away from her! _Machop shouted, landing behind them.

Two hands, two lightning fast chops. Squirtle felt a horrible, paralyzing sensation in his neck, pain radiating out from the point of impact.

_Crap, _Squirtle managed to grunt as he and his comrade fell forward.

_Hey! You can't do that to Squirtle! _One of the other three members of the Squirtle Squad who were guarding the rear of the group from the village shouted. _Only we get to beat up on the boss! _

Three Water Gun attacks lanced through the forest. Two sets of vines lashed out. The Water Gun attacks were dispersed by the whipping vines, water splattering everywhere.

_Our turn! _Machop shouted, charging forward. Squirtle tried to pick himself up, but he was still suffering from the chop to the neck. He could only manage to turn himself around to watch the fight.

One of the Squirtle Squad let loose a Bubble attack, forcing Machop to abandon his charge to avoid the stream of watery spheres. But another Vine Whip attack from the trees above destroyed the bubbles, the green tentacle spearing a curving path through the stream of bubbles. And yet another set of vines lashed out at the Squirtle Squad.

_No don't scatter! _Squirtle shouted, but it was too late. The three members of the Squirtle Squad let the vines drive them apart. And then the machop was charging forward again.

Three lightning fast punches to the face that sounded like the world's fastest meat tenderizer and one squirtle was down.

Not even watching his opponent fall, Machop wasted no time in moving onto the next squirtle. Its limbs were a grey blur, smashing through the water type's defenses. A chop to the head, a kick to the knee, and then a punishing grip to the forepaw before the squirtle could withdraw into her shell.

A sickening crack rang out as the machop brought his other hand down on the squirtle's limb, breaking the extremity. Squritle felt sick as the other squirtle shrieked in horrible pain. He tried to move, but his body still wouldn't respond.

The last squirtle managed to catch Machop with a Water Gun attack, blasting it away into the forest. His victory was short lived though, as two sets of vines snapped out of the trees, laying open his skin on the face and limbs with a double Vine Whip attack. Chemical secretions from the vines were driven into his skin. While, at the same time, the lashing vines absorbed vital moisture from the pokémon.

Squirtle forced himself to stand despite the pain just as he fell from the attacks. He spat out a short Bubblebeam attack, the stream of high velocity ovaloid bubbles blasting through the branches and leaves where he guessed that the vines had originated from.

Squirtle staggered onward, his breathes coming in hisses as he forced himself forward, trying to get closer to the three recently downed squirtles. The machop would certainly be returning soon and he had to protect them!

Squirtle heard dead leaves crunch and blasted at the sound with a Water Gun. His instincts proved true and his attack caught the machop. Once again, the fighting type was knocked off of its feet by a pressurized jet of water to the face.

And then Squirtle heard a cry of pain come from behind him. He turned around to see that the squirtle behind him, the one who had helped take out the poliwag, getting lashed by vines. The squirtle fell to the ground, limp and unmoving, while the vines withdrew.

Squirtle quickly turned his head and fired off a Bubble attack in the direction that he had last seen the machop, just to try and keep it away for as long as he could, and then returned his gaze to where the vines had come from.

He was tired. He was hurting. His head was still fuzzy from the machop's attack. Squirtle's legs trembled. His tail was limp. And he was breathing hard. He could barely stand.

But he was the only protection that his comrades had!

Leaves rustled and Squirtle fired off another Bubblebeam attack. Bubbles blasted leaves, branches, and one set of vines, deflecting the Vine Whip attack.

More leaves rustled, this time above Squirtle. He looked up to see yet more vines snake out of the trees; at the same time there was a commotion behind him, but he couldn't look, he tried to move, but the vines were too quick, and all Squirtle could do was stumble back, and the vines were coming-

_No!_

Squirtle's vision went dark as something threw itself on top of him, human arms wrapping around the water type.

Vines cracked.

A young human screamed in sudden, horrible, pain.

But the human didn't move and Squirtle wasn't hurt.

Squirtle heard a snarl of rage, too intense for words, and the sound of furiously flapping wings. He managed to peak out from beneath the human to see Pidgeotto clamp her beak on the end of one of the vines, her claws around the main length. With a grunt and a mighty yank, shore tore a piece off.

A pokémon shrieked in pain from the trees and then Pikachu was in front of Squirtle and the human, buzzing and glowing with electric power.

_You'll pay for that, _Pikachu said in a flat tone, even as his body tensed and trembled, even as his forepaws clenched. A powerful Thunderbolt attack lanced out from him, blindingly bright. It speared into the forest, aiming for the source of the shriek, briefly staining the world yellow and filling it ominous buzzing.

_Shit shit shit shit shit, _a pokémon was swearing from the tree branches as plant life was incinerated by Pikachu's attack. The vines withdrew back into the leaves.

_ I'm getting a message from Zubat! _Another voice shouted, hidden in the trees. _Everyone retreat! _

Squirtle looked around, catching sight of the machop. He shouted a warning, but the machop just ran past the group, towards where the poliwag lay. Pikachu let loose another Thunderbolt, but the machop was able to dodge, the scintillating electric attack scorching the earth just behind the fighting type. It ducked low, grabbed the poliwag, and then sprinted away.

The human leaned back and Squirtle saw that it was Ash. His face was stained with tears and it kept twisting in pain. The boy grit his teeth and looked down at Squirtle.

_Are you okay? _Ash asked the blue pokémon, obviously struggling to keep his voice steady. _They didn't hurt you did they? What about the rest of the squad? _

_ Ash you- _Pikachu turned around to face his trainer, voice quivering, tail stiff and sticking straight out, and forepaws curled into fists. _You- you- stupid-fool -idiot- your back! Someone wake up Melanie! We need to get this treated right away! _

_ What were you thinking!? _Pidgeotto shrieked.

_What happened? _Butterfree asked, fluttering up to join them and getting a look at his trainer._ Oh, Ash, _Butterfree exclaimed in a horrified tone.

_I'll recover, but- _Squirtle leaned around Ash to see the human boy's back. The boy's jacket had been split open, as had the black shirt underneath, and the skin under that. An ugly stripe of dirty red covered the length of the boy's back, drops of blood occasionally dripping down. _Ash, you- you- _

Squirtle was at a loss for words.

The boy started to stand up and then gasped in pain. Tears began to fall in earnest, but the boy grit his teeth and forced himself to his feet.

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but ended up panting from the pain for several seconds. He closed his eyes, grit his teeth, and forced himself to swallow before opening his mouth to speak.

_We need to get everybody to Melanie, _he announced finally. _Pidgeotto, Butterfree, you'll each need to carry one. I should be able to carry two-_

_ No! Absolutely not! _Pikachu all but screamed. _Butterfree, Pidgeotto, stay here and guard the squirtles. Ash! You are going back to Melanie and she will take care of your back, even if I have to shock her awake!_

_ But the Squirtle Squad- _Ash tried to protest, but Pikachu wouldn't listen.

_Bulbasaur can come back for them! _Pikachu continued, still almost screaming._ Pidgeotto and Butterfree can help move them! But you are in no shape to help! I wouldn't let you walk if there was anyone big enough to carry you! But since none of us can do that you'll have to suffer the results of your absolute idiocy until we can get Melanie to fix you! And maybe she can give you a functioning brain while she's at it! _

Pikachu was out of breath when he finished his tirade, glaring up at his trainer. The electric type was flushed, trembling, and covered in sweat, so much so that Squritle almost didn't notice the liquid leaking out of the corners of his eyes.

_Okay, _Ash said in a meek voice, eyes looking to the side. _I- I'm- I'm sorry….._

_ Just start going back to Melanie, now! _Pikachu said loudly, but his tone was almost pleading. _I'll guard you, so don't worry, please just go! _

_ I'll help, _Squirtle croaked out to Pikachu. _If they come back, I'll help guard him. _

_ Alright, _Ash said in the quietest voice Squirtle had heard him use.

* * *

"Yeeeeeeeeeouch!" Melanie screeched. Aoba winced. Ash winced. Ash's wince irritated his wounded back and the sudden flare of pain caused tears to start leaking out of his eyes again.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah," Melanie waved her hands in front of her for a minute. "I hate, hate, hate, hate having to set my own nose." She reached into her pocket, withdrew a bloodstained handkerchief, and then began to wipe at her nose again.

Out of all the humans, Melanie's injuries had been the least severe. When the Sleep Powder had forced her into slumber she had fallen on her face and broken her nose. She had woken up with a bloody face, that had scared several years off of Bulbasaur's lifespan but without any major injuries.

"Okay, now for you two," Melanie said, reaching into one of her packs for some medical supplies. "Shirt off Aoba. Aaron carefully lay down on your front. Bulbasaur, can you see if you can that shirt and jacket off of him? I'll do it if you can't."

_On it, _Bulbasaur growled from behind Ash. Ash wanted to twist around to see what he was doing, but knew that he would probably faint from the pain if he tried to do so. Instead he complied with Melanie's orders. Spurts of pain came from his back as he did so but he managed to lie down on his front.

Ash turned his head as far as he was able to, in order to watch Melanie tend to Aoba. The biochemist was sitting cross legged on the ground. His shirt was off and Ash could see that the bandages wrapped around the biochemist's torso were stained red.

"You've re-opened this," Melanie said examining the wound through the bandage. "I'm going to need to redo the stiches."

"Can it wait until you're done with Aaron?", Aoba asked, wincing as the blue haired woman pokéd and prodded him.

"No, I don't want your infection to get worse," Melanie told him, getting out more supplies. "We're nearly out of antibiotics, but we have plenty of disinfectants."

"Do you have any painkillers?" Aoba asked, grimacing.

"No," Melanie told him before turning to her bag of medical supplies. "Now lay down on your back. Bulbasaur, are you having any problems?"

While Melanie had been tending to Aoba Bulbasaur had been busy using his Razor Leaf to cut off Ash's ruined shirt and jacket. Tremors of pain had shot through Ash when the cloth fibers embedded in his wound were tugged on, but the pokéraised child grit his teeth, ignored his tears and did his best to endure the pain.

The pokémon from the village had gathered in a circle around the wounded humans, with the healthy members of the Squirtle Squad standing guard. The wounded members of the Squirtle Squad stood, sat and lay close to the center, along with Charmander who was nursing the back of his head.

Butterfree and Pidgeotto flew short patrols overhead, keeping an eye out for any enemies who decided to return. Pikachu alternated between glaring and scanning the forest for threats and glaring at the wound on Ash's back while trembling.

Aoba lay on the ground while Melanie undid his bandages. She gathered the supplies she would need and then turned to Bulbasaur who had finished cutting off Ash's shirt and jacket.

"If you're done with the cutting, you can clean the blood around the wound with this and some warm water," the blue haired woman told the grass type, offering him a clean rag. "See if one of the squirtles can mix in a pinch of salt as well."

_On it, _Bulbasaur said, taking the rag with a vine. _Any of you lot capable of producing very mildly salty water on demand? _

_ I can do it, _Squirtle said.

_ Good, _Bulbasaur replied. _Make it as warm as you can, _the grass type said, extending his vine to offer Squirtle the rag. The water type soaked it in a trickle of warm water and then Bulbasaur took it back.

Ash flinched when he felt the rag touch his blood soaked back, sending another wave of pain through him as the motion aggravated the wound. And then Bulbasaur began to methodically clean the area around the wound, mopping away blood and cloth fiber. Ash clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes closed so that he wouldn't react to the pain when Bulbasaur got to close to the bloody trench the Vine Whip attack had carved into his back.

"Shit!" Ash heard Aoba hiss. The pokéraised child figured that Melanie had either applied disinfectant or begun replacing stiches. He tried not to think about how that would feel when it was his turn.

Ash lay still, eyes closed as Bulbasaur cleaned his back, and listened to Aoba as he tried not to swear or scream. The boy shivered; his back felt cold even though it had been a mildly warm autumn day; the blood and the water both made the air feel so much colder than it was.

"Alright, you're done," Ash heard Melanie announce. "Take it easy and try not to tear these will you?"

"I didn't exactly mean to tear the first ones," Aoba complained in response. "And don't worry about me, you should have treated Aaron first."

"You've been in critical condition for the last several days," Melanie replied. "You couldn't afford any delay."

Ash heard human footsteps and the rustle of cloth.

"Oh, Aaron," he heard Melanie sigh. "You poor thing. You poor brave boy." She gently stroked his hair.

_More like absolutely stupid thing, _Ash heard Pikachu mutter in a voice that sounded like it would break at the slightest touch.

_I'm forced to agree, _Bulbasaur chimed in.

"Aaron, I'm so sorry, but this is going to really hurt and I need you to stay still for me," the woman told him. "Can you do that?"

"Yes," Ash said, not opening his eyes.

"I need to clean this first, okay Aaron?" Melanie asked, gently rubbing his neck. "Can you tell me if it starts hurting real bad?"

"Yes," Ash whispered again; eyes still closed.

"Okay, I'm starting now." Ash hissed and nearly flinched when he felt the disinfectant on his back. It stung and burned and he was cold and the ground was uncomfortable and he didn't want to be there and he just wanted it all to quit hurting already…..

Ash didn't know how long it took her to disinfect the wound left by the Vine Whip attack. He was trying very hard not to focus on the pain. Once again, he remembered the mental defense training that Pocket Watch had given him so long ago. He tried to use the techniques to avoid focusing on the pain.

"Aaron, I'm done cleaning okay," Melanie told him, gently stroking the back of his head. "You did a good job. I'm going to put the disinfectant away and I need you keep staying still."

"Okay," Ash said. He had managed to quit crying by that time. His face was covered in salt, left behind after the tears dried, and his arms were trembling. His neck was starting to hurt as well, an effect of holding his current position.

"I'm back Aaron," Melanie told him. "You did a good job. I'm going to need you to keep doing a good job, okay? You're going to need some stiches. This is going to hurt a lot. Do you need something to bite down on?"

"No," Ash responded, his voice weak and shaking.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Ash replied. He could handle this.

When the needle pierced his flesh, the child couldn't stop a hiss of pain. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes. Ash desperately reached for the mental defense training again and for the memory of happier times. Of playing catch with his caretakers in the mountains by Lavender Town. Half-forgotten memories of Jack and Shelly. Of his 'competitions' with Gary. Teasing Pikachu.

It was so much harder not to move. Not to scream. Ash thought that he felt liquid on his hand; his nails were digging into his palms so hard that they had drawn blood.

Pain and tightness ruled Ash's back, like his skin had been replaced by an ill-fitting rough suit that through some bizarre circumstances, was made out of an acidic material. His breathing was ragged and his throat was parched.

_Shh, shh, it'll be alright, _Ash heard Pikachu, sounding like the pokémon was crying as well. And then Ash felt his starter nuzzle his face.

_You're doing good kid, keep it up, _Bulbasaur grunted, wrapping a vine around Ash's arm.

"Come on Aaron," Ash heard Aoba say and then a human hand grasped his other hand.

Once more, Ash lost track of time through the haze of pain. He could vaguely feel Pikachu trying to comfort him and Bulbasaur's vine wrapped around his arm. He could hear Melanie muttering soothing things. He tried to focus on happier memories. But it was so hard!

Each poké of the needle and pull of the thread yanked Ash back to the pain. Reminded him of the cold. Of the feelings of wrongness. Of Pikachu's angry words.

And then Melanie said. "It's done."

Ash sighed while Melanie continued. "You did a good job Aaron, you brave boy. You can relax now. Just lay there a bit. Would you like some water?"

_Yes, _Ash answered, eyes still closed.

"What? I didn't understand you," Melanie said.

Ash swallowed before answering again. "Yes," he managed to croak out.

"I'll go get some," Melanie said and then Ash heard her getting up.

"You did good kid," Aoba said by his side. "I know some adults who would've fainted getting stiches like that."

Ash tried to get out a response, but talking was too much effort. The boy heard Melanie return and the rustle of cloth as she knelt beside him.

"Open your mouth," she ordered gently. Ash complied and felt the open of a canteen on his lips, followed by a trickle of water. While a good portion leaked out of the corner of his mouth, Ash managed to get most of it down.

"Can I get up?" Ash managed to say after the drink.

"Let us help you," Melanie said. "You'll want to be very careful or you'll end up tearing your stiches."

"It's not fun Aaron," Aoba said from Ash's other side, "trust me on that."

The two of them grabbed his arms and shoulders gently. "Are you ready?" Melanie asked.

"Yes." Ash replied and then gritted his teeth as they lifted him up and slung his arms over their shoulders. Pain returned, but it wasn't as bad as before. He opened his eyes as he was brought back to his feet and the world was a shade too bright.

"Okay, try not to move around too much," Melanie said as the three started to move. "We'll need to find you a place to sit for tonight-"

"No," Ash told her. "We need to keep moving. We can't stay here with those Rockets nearby."

Melanie sighed. "Aaron, are you sure you're up to it?" She asked him. "You should at least take a night to recover-"

Ash shook his head and then regretted it. Wincing he told her "We don't have a night. We need to get you and Aoba to that pokémon center."

"Aaron-"Aoba began, voice between anger and grief. "Aaron, don't worry about me. If I had known what would-"

"Did you happen to plan stumbling into my village?" Melanie asked, cutting him off. "Or Aaron and his friends stumbling over Oddish?"

"No," Aoba replied, taken aback.

"Then what were you about to regret?" Melanie's eyes narrowed as she looked at the biochemist over Ash's shoulder. "If you're about to regret finding some sliver of safety with us, I must warn you my intent was to provide care, comfort, and safety to every resident of the village, no matter how brief their stay. I will not stand for anyone denigrating that purpose, not even a resident of the village such as yourself Mr. Aoba."

"You really would have been better off Team Rocket had killed me before I reached your village," Aoba stated, not meeting her eyes and instead staring at the ground. The two adults helped Ash walk over to a large rock where he sat down.

"I would have been better off personally if I had gone into pokémon breeding. Or botany. Or if I had married rich." Melanie told the biochemist after they had set Ash down. She then quickly retrieved a roll of bandages and began wrapping them around the wounded child's torso. "I'm not out here in the wilderness because I was interested in doing good for myself."

"What about the pokémon then?" Aoba asked, still not meeting her eyes. "They would've been better off if Team Rocket had killed me before I found you."

_He's got a point, _Bulbasaur muttered.

"And each pokémon might be better off individually if there were less of them at the village," Melanie replied, rolling her eyes, finishing up wrapping Ash's torso and moving on to the bandages for the upper back. "But that's not the point."

"Can we argue on the way?" Ash asked from his seat. "I really don't want to give Team Rocket time to attack us again."

"You need to wait at least an hour before you think of moving!" Melanie said sharply, making sure to look the boy in the eye. "And I honestly don't think you or Aoba should do any more travelling today!"

"But if we don't then Team Rocket will attack us again," Ash pointed out, squashing the urge to stand. "We need to get somewhere where we can hide or defend so they don't attack us again!"

_He's right you know, _Bulbasaur spoke up, pointing at Ash with a vine.

"It's not safe to move either of them," Melanie told the grass type, eyes narrowing again.

"It's not safe to stay here," Aoba said, finally meeting the blue haired woman's eyes.

"Fine!" Melanie threw up her hands in surrender. "But if you two tear your stiches don't blame me!"

* * *

Their pace was much slower from then on, with Ash taking care not to aggravate the wound running up and down his back, and Tauros taking care not to jostle Aoba. Ash had gotten a replacement jacket out of his pack and then given said pack to Tauros to carry.

Ash pushed both himself and the rest of the group to continue until well after sunset, trying to make up for the time lost when Team Rocket attacked.

The child walked near the back of the group this time, with the remaining members of the Squirtle Squad. Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree guarded the front of their little caravan. The wounded pokémon limped or were carried in the center. The whole group stuck was bunched closer together despite the danger and discomfort such an arrangement posed; they no longer had enough able-bodied fighters to move as they had done earlier in the day.

Ash was at first glad of the privacy that his location provided, until he tried talking to Pikachu who was walking beside him. Pikachu didn't respond to his trainer beyond mono-syllablic answers to basic questions. Pikachu even refused to look at his trainer if the electric-type could avoid it.

None of the Squirtle Squad with them were up to much conversation either, so Ash walked along in glum, sullen silence. Night fell and Melanie finally put her foot down and made everyone stop.

Melanie took care of setting up camp, forbidding Ash from doing anything more than fishing a new shirt out of his pack, something to wear under his jacket to help ward off the chill of the autumn night. When Ash had insisted on trying to feed the pokémon she had glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Young man, if you don't stop this right now then you stand the risk of tearing out some stiches," Melanie told him, looking down at the boy. "Do you want to go through the ordeal of replacing them?"

"But-"Ash tried to protest, but the blue haired woman wouldn't let him speak.

"But nothing mister. You need to go sit down and eat! Have one of those protein bars and I'll get you some dried apple slices and jerky to go with it." Melanie made a shooing gesture with one hand. "Shoo! You need to rest so you can convalesce."

"Fine," Ash muttered, slinking off to go eat.

It took Melanie about an hour to get camp set up and all the pokémon fed. While that was happening, Ash and Aoba ate their 'dinners' in silence.

Pikachu kept some distance between him and Ash, never letting his trainer out of his sight, but never getting too close to him either. The electric type eventually began to occupy itself by attacking a tree, punching and tackling it.

Ash sat on a fallen tree and looked up at the clear autumn sky, as the stars began to reveal themselves, splashing a swath of silvery white light against the black backdrop of the night sky. A cool breeze made him draw his replacement jacket tighter, taking care not to aggravate his back, which had begun to throb. Nocturnal flying-types and bug-types began to awaken and sing their songs; their day was just starting, even as the boy's was ending.

Ash heard the sounds of a human approaching and turned to see Melanie heading towards him. She took a seat on the log next to him.

"How are you holding up Aaron?" She asked Ash.

"I'm- I'm fine," Ash told her, looking back at the sky.

"Are you sure? Where's Pikachu?"

"He's over there," Ash waved in Pikachu's general direction.

"What's he doing?"

"I don't know," Ash muttered in a sullen tone as he kept staring skywards. "He's fighting a tree or something."

"Any idea why?" Melanie asked.

"No," Ash said shortly. "He's been acting stupid since I got hurt."

"Hmmm," Melanie said. Ash saw her look up out of the corner of his eye, joining him in looking up at the night sky. "He was your first pokémon, right?"

"Yes," Ash muttered.

"He seemed really worried about you earlier today," Melanie pointed out. "Have you gotten hurt like this before?"

"No," Ash said, still looking at the sky.

"I see," Melanie said softly. "He's probably very miserable right now."

"Why?" Ask asked, sniffing. He was surprised to feel tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes again. Hadn't he cried enough already today?

"His favorite human got hurt and he wasn't able to protect them," Melanie told the black-haired boy. "He probably feels like he failed you."

"Then why is acting like he's so mad at me?" Ash quietly huffed, looking at the ground between his feet.

"He probably doesn't know how to face you after you got hurt like that," Melanie told the younger boy. "And he probably is angry with your decisions as well. That makes it all more complicated."

"Melanie," Ash began in a quiet voice and then hesitated. "Do you- Do you-"

Ash closed his eyes hard, trying to squash his tears. He had already cried too much. "Do you think I did something wrong? Are my pokémon supposed to be mad at me?"

"That's a good question," Melanie replied. "Aaron, would you mind it if I gave you a hug?"

"No," Ash shook his head. He felt an arm curl around his shoulders, and he leaned on Melanie, sniffling.

"Aaron, I didn't see what happened," Melanie told him as he began to silently cry into her shoulder. "So, I don't know if you made any mistakes. But I do know that your decision hurt something that your pokémon obviously find very precious."

"My back?" Ash sniffed, staring at a boring pebble by his right foot.

"No silly," Ash looked up to see Melanie giving him a gentle smile. "You."

"I just didn't want Squirtle to get hurt," Ash told her quietly. "He was already hurt. I didn't want anything else to happen to him."

"So, you threw yourself between him and the attack?" Melanie asked. Ash nodded.

"That was brave you Aaron," Melanie said. "Though I imagine if I was one of your parents or guardians, I would be using the term 'reckless' or 'thoughtless'."

"So, everyone's right to be mad at me?" Ash rubbed at his nose, looking back at the ground.

"I never said that," Melanie told him. "I live out in the middle of the wilderness, with only a very small generator for power, no running water, using my biology and botany degrees to care for abandoned pokémon in sheds that I had to learn how to build myself."

"I slept in a cottage that leaked for years until I finally learned how to build a proper roof," Melanie went on. "The first human contact I've had in years was a bleeding man stumbling into my little village and then getting attack by Team Rocket. I'm not exactly in a position to criticize anyone for being self-sacrificing, especially when it comes to pokémon," she concluded dryly.

"Why'd you come out here?" Ash asked, looking up at her again.

"I don't like seeing pokémon suffer," Melanie said with a wan smile and then she giggled. "I admit, if I had known how horrible the first few years would be, I might have hesitated. It was not fun learning how to live in the wilderness."

"Why not?" Ash, who had grown up in said wilderness, asked. "I don't think it's so bad."

"Well I never realized just how hard it could be to forage food," Melanie replied, "especially where there isn't a convenient source of protein around, like fish. And I didn't know just how hard growing all my food in a garden would be. Or how hard it is to go months without talking to another person."

"Oh," Ash replied and then rubbed at his eyes. The tears had stopped, but his face felt all salty again.

"And you should've seen my first attempting at building a cabin!" Melanie laughed and began to rub Ash's shoulder. "Even I realized that it was a safety hazard. The first thing I had Bulbasaur do after he joined me was tear that thing down. I made sure to use the pieces for firewood so that there would be no trace of it left."

"How did you and Bulbasaur meet?" Ash asked.

"He wandered into the village on some business of his own one day," Melanie answered, smiling at the memory. "I was busy tending to a fussy tangela at the time. Bulbasaur seemed to think I was hurting it. He almost attacked me before he noticed the medical supplies."

Ash noted that Bulbasaur had never mentioned that part to him.

"And then he decided to hang around." Melanie said and then she sighed. She looked up at the stars shining in the night sky. "It's times like that which make me wish I could understand pokémon. Really understand what they're saying."

Ash didn't say anything.

"I know I should be thankful for what I have," Melanie continued. "Today I get the gist of what Bulbasaur means when he's talking to me, but that's not the same thing. There's so much that goes on when two people talk to each other, so many layers of meaning woven into the simplest exchanges. It's something we don't appreciate enough. It's something that I wish I could have that with Bulbasaur and all of the pokémon in my care."

"But," Melanie gave Ash another wan smile, "like I said, I should just be grateful for what I do have."

Once more Ash didn't have anything to say.

"I wouldn't worry too much about your pokémon being mad at you," Melanie went, rubbing Ash's shoulder some more. "I know Bulbasaur's always mad at me for some reason or another. He can be overprotective sometimes. You'd think I was made of glass the way he hovers over me."

"I think he's mad at me too," Ash said, thinking back on Bulbasaur's recent attitude and the remarks he had made.

"Oh, don't worry about him, his bark's worse than his bite," Melanie giggled again. "That pun was intentional by the way."

"Pun?... Oh!" Ash smiled at the bad joke.

"I have learned to compromise with him," Melanie told the black-haired boy. "I let him scout things out when he thinks there's danger and I let him do the heavy lifting when he insists. I also try to do things in the least dangerous way I can because I don't want him to worry. This is something you might need to learn to do with your pokémon."

"What do you mean?"

"Next time Squirtle's in danger and you want to save him, try tackling him out of the way instead of being a human shield?" Melanie suggested with a small shrug. "Or maybe, order your pokémon to help him? I'll repeat, you were brave to do what you did Aaron. And it shows you have a good heart. Just try to be a wee bit smarter about things in the future."

Ash couldn't help but laugh at that.

* * *

Ash lay on his stomach in his tent, trying to get comfortable, trying to reassure himself with the fact that he didn't have to stand watch that night. Pikachu was curled up in a corner, near the entrance. Ash couldn't see him, but he knew that the electric type wasn't asleep.

_You don't have to sleep there, _Ash told his starter.

There was no reply.

_Pikachu, I would be more comfortable if you slept somewhere I could see you, _Ash tried next.

Still no response.

_If you don't answer I'll have to get up and come over there, _Ash said.

_You stay where you are, _Pikachu responded, voice low and sullen. _Fine. I'll come over. _Pikachu slowly walked over to by Ash's head, crossing his forepaws and looking to the side. _There. Happy now?_

_ Happier, _Ash responded. _Pikachu, I'm sorry I worried you today. _

Pikachu didn't respond.

_I'm sorry I got hurt, _Ash apologized. He reached out and began to pet the top of Pikachu's head. They were silent for a time before Pikachu spoke.

_It's my fault, _Pikachu said in a quiet voice, looking down. _I should've taken the attack myself. _

_ What? No, _Ash remembered not to shake his head in his current state. _You're mad at me for doing just that!_

_ Well, I can take the hit better then you, _Pikachu grumbled. _Plus, with me, most of the time, you just have to spray a potion on the wound. _

_ Okay, _Ash conceded the point. _But I'm never going to ask you to take the hit for someone. Block it sure, but never take it. _

_ Then why didn't you have Pidgeotto or me block that Vine Whip? _Pikachu asked, not looking up.

_ I- I just didn't have time to think about it, _Ash replied, pausing in his petting of Pikachu. _I just saw that Squirtle was in trouble and I wanted to stop it. _

_And you wonder why I call you an idiot, _Pikachu grumbled, though his tone was lighter.

_Yeah, _Ash let out a small laugh. _I guess I can be pretty stupid at times. But I'm a big boy Pikachu. I make mistakes, but I can take care of myself. _

_ I doubt that, _Pikachu replied and then sighed. _I hesitated instead of acting. It wasn't a situation where I should have waited for your orders. I'm getting too reliant on you-_

_ Wow, you're getting this all from one incident? _Ash asked, sarcasm infusing his voice. _You're brilliant! You should have rushed in instead! I mean it's not like you're currently mad at me for not thinking throughs and properly assessing the situation. _

_ Sarcasm doesn't suit you, _Pikachu replied, rolling his eyes.

_Well moping doesn't suit you either, _Ash shot back, _but that hasn't stopped you tonight, has it now?_

_ Fine, _Pikachu smiled a little and then his expression grew serious again. _But I'm still not happy with you right now. _

_ I didn't know you were ever happy with me. _

_ I'm happy when you're safe and helping me become stronger, _Pikachu pointed out. _Or when you're feeing me. Or when you get Brock to brush me. Or when you call me adorable. _

_ But I never call you adorable, _Ash said after a moment.

_ Well, that's another way you can make me happy with you, _Pikachu responded. _Just notice my obvious adorableness. _

_ Whatever you say, _Ash rolled his eyes. _So, will you start acting normal soon? _

_ Will you be able to move normal soon? _Pikachu asked with a pointed look at Ash's back.

_I'll be able to do it sooner if you actually help me instead of sulking, _Ash said, narrowing his eyes at Pikachu. _Besides, with the way this thing hurts, I'll get angry at myself before long. _

_ Well, good, _Pikachu said, walking over to Ash's side and wiggling under one of Ash arms to nuzzle into the boy's side. _After all, you got my favorite person hurt today._

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank blackcatspecialist for beta reading this chapter.

Once again I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews/comments. And on that note, don't forget to review!:AN


	25. Chapter 25

"Alright," Dave clapped his hands together. "Observations people. What did we see today?"

He and his subordinates were sitting around a campsite; a circle of five tents in a clearing under the stars. There were pokémon acting as sentries at the edge of camp, and Dave knew that there were a few more pokémon waiting unseen in the forest. The humans were gathered in the center of the campsite, sitting around a portable electric stove, and holding recently emptied dishes.

"The number of squirtles haven't changed," Anne spoke up. "It looks like they all came with the primary and secondary targets."

"The electric type we encountered is a possible candidate for the electric type that was deployed alongside that onix," a man with brown eyes and black hair said.

"Same with the flying type," another man, one with purple hair, pointed out.

"They have a butterfree," a woman with cyan hair said, "that has a counter to Supersonic."

"Good, good, good," Dave said, jotting down some notes in a flip open notebook. "Keep it coming people."

"The charmander is willing and able to fight," the cyan haired woman pointed out. "It's just not very skilled."

"The human trainer is skilled, but inexperienced," Dave said, jotting down his thoughts. "He came up with a way to paralyze Aron, but he's impulsive. He took the hit for a squirtle instead of using a pokémon."

"I think the bulbasaur was acting independently of the trainer," Anne said, a pensive expression on her face. "The trainer didn't seem to give it any orders and I think the trainer and his pokémon would change or delay their plan to adapt to its actions."

"The squirtles were less effective today," Dave chewed on the cap of his pen. "It might be because they're used to working together as a larger group, or it might be because the one of the other pokémon were directing them earlier."

"We also made sure to hit them with type advantage and an ability that hard counters their primary attacks," the black-haired man said. "That may have factored into the drop in their performance."

"Another good point," Dave muttered.

"The boy and his pokémon are close," the purple haired man said in a quiet voice, looking down. "They got rather angry when he was hurt."

"Is that really relevant Toji?" Dave asked, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"I don't know, is it?" Toji, shot back, meeting Dave's eyes. After a moment Dave jotted it down in his notebook.

"It might be," Dave admitted with a slight nod in Toji's direction. "Anything else people?"

Nobody else had anything to add.

"Ikue," Dave turned to the cyan haired woman. "How long will your bellsprout take to recover?"

"She should be fine in a day," Ikue replied.

"Everyone else's pokémon took general damage, they should be ready to fight again in the morning," Dave told his people. "Unfortunately, that goes for a lot of their pokémon as well. On the other hand, we held a lot of pokémon in reserve today. We know what pokémon they have and we know how they fight."

Dave looked around, meeting everyone's eyes.

"Once all of our bellsprouts are fully recovered, we'll strike and kill our targets," he went on. "Tend to your pokémon tonight. Rest tomorrow. And then we'll figure out how we're going to end this."

* * *

The sun rose, spilling golden light over the gentle hills of the forest, sunlight filtering through the dying leaves, briefly turning them incandescent and creating a kaleidoscope of red, yellow, and orange. A chill autumn breeze blew through the landscape, stirring up leaves from the forest floor in a whispering rustle and causing branches to sway as if the trees were gently shaking themselves to wakefulness.

Bulbasaur opened one eye to the scene and then closed it. A few seconds later both eyes opened and Bulbasaur groaned.

_Morning already, it ain't right, _the grass type grumbled as he got up and then he too shook himself to full wakefulness.

He looked around, glaring at the sleeping pokémon scattered all around him and the three tents in the center of their makeshift camp. Bulbasaur grumbled even more when he noticed that the squirtles who were supposed to be on the last watch had fallen asleep. They were leaning back against the trees they had been sitting under.

_Time to wake up! _Bulbasaur shouted. Vines came out and the various members of the Squirtle Squad found themselves far more shaken than the trees.

_Five more minutes, _Squirtle mumbled, his angular sunglasses askew. Instead of giving him the time, Bulbasaur's vine wrapped around his foot and then dangled him in the air, shaking him up and down like coins might fall out of his shell.

_Hey! Stop! I'm awake, I'm awake! _Squirtle shouted, sunglasses falling off. _You can put me down now! _

_ If you insist, _Bulbasaur said with a shrug and then let go of Squirtle. The water type barely had time for a yelp before he crashed face first into the dirt.

_I see you're in a fine mood this morning, _Squirtle grumbled as he picked himself up.

_Finding out that the sentries were sleeping on the job always puts me in a fine mood, _Bulbasaur growled, shooting a glare at the squirtles in question. The two squirtles blushed, clasped their hands behind their back, looked away from Bulbasaur and fidgeted.

_Don't hold it against them. We had a tough day yesterday, _their leader said with a yawn, before retrieving his sunglasses. _Type advantage was not in our favor. _

_ I'm pretty sure the machop did more to you then the bellsprouts, _Bulbasaur informed him.

_The machop did more damage, but the poliwag and the bellsprouts are what let it hit us, _Squirtle replied as he put his sunglasses back on. _But now that we know their tricks, we'll be ready for them. Round two will go a lot differently. _He pounded his fist into his palm to emphasis the point.

_But now they'll know our tricks as well, _Bulbasaur told the water types. _And we don't know how many of them there are. _

_ True, _Squirtle grimaced. _We'll have to deal with that when it comes. _

_ I'll talk with Ash, _Bulbasaur went on. _Maybe we can think of some way to deal with those bellsprouts. Pidgeotto might be able to do something. _

_ Ash, huh, _Squirtle said, looking away from Bulbasaur.

_I never thought I'd see a human do something like that, _one of the others squirtles piped up.

_I know my old trainer never would, _another added.

_Poor human, that looked like it hurt a lot, _another one said.

_It was pretty stupid. _

_ But it was awesome! _

_I'm just glad the boss didn't have to take another hit, _one of the squirtles said, looking over at the squad's leader. _I don't think he could've taken it. _

_ It wouldn't have been fun, _Squirtle admitted, not looking at any of the other pokémon.

_Pikachu is correct, that boy is an idiot, _Bulbasaur huffed. _He should've had Pidgeotto attack instead of throwing himself in the way. He ain't gonna live long if he keeps acting like that. _

_ Life's short as it is, _one of the squirtles said, waving away Bulbasaur's concerns. _We all should focus on being cool instead. And that was so cool! _

_ Well, at first, _another squirtle said, looking pensive. _But dealing with the injury got pretty boring. He didn't do anything other than lie there and cry._

_ Do humans ever sew pokémon wounds shut? _One of the other squirtle's asked. _Does it hurt? _

_ Most of the time they don't need to, _Bulbasaur answered. _We heal pretty quick and if that's not enough a potion will generally work. It's only for very serious cases that they give a pokémon stitches. And it does hurt if they don't have anything to make you numb. _

_ Speaking from experience? _Squirtle asked, finally looking at Bulbasaur again.

_Yes, _Bulbasaur replied. _Humans aren't like us. It hurts worse for them if they don't get numbed first. _

_ Really, _Squirtle said, looking away again.

_Enough chit-chat, _Bulbasaur declared. _You lot should go wake up the humans so we can all have something to eat. Now get!_

Most of the Squirtle Squad took to the assigned task with a minimum of groaning and complaining. But their leader hung back, looking out into the forest.

_Bulbasaur, _Squirtle said in a hesitant manner. _Can I ask you a question? _

_ What? _Bulbasaur asked with a roll of his eyes. _Can't this wait? _

_ I'd rather not, _Squirtle said. _What Ash did yesterday… is that what the good trainers you knew would've done? _

_ The stupid ones, _Bulbasaur snorted, _not the good ones. The good ones wouldn't've done it. _

_ What would they have done? _

_ What I said earlier, _Bulbasaur rolled his eyes again. _Have Pidgeotto take care of the attack. Type advantage would've meant she would've had an easy time counter-attacking. _

_ What if your good trainer didn't have Pidgeotto with them? _Squirtle asked, turning away from Bulbasaur, leaving the grass type unable to see his expression. _Or Pikachu? What would they have done then? _

Bulbasaur was silent for a moment, starting at the back of Squirtle's shell. Squirtle continued to stare off into the forest.

_They….. _Bulbasaur sighed, _they probably would've done what Ash did. _

_ What about the bad trainers you knew? Would any of them done something like that? _

_ Some might've, _Bulbasaur said with a shrug. _It depends on why they were bad. Humans can be complicated like that. _

_ Do you think Ash is a bad trainer? _Squirtle asked without turning around.

_He's reckless and stupid, but he cares for his pokémon and they care for him, _Bulbasaur answered.

_ Is that a yes or a no? _

_ It depends on what you're looking for, _Bulbasaur told the water type. _What are you looking for Squirtle? _

Squirtle didn't answer at first. Bulbasaur rolled his eyes, sighed, and began to walk away. But just before he left, Bulbasaur heard Squirtle say one more thing.

_I'm just wondering about what I found._

* * *

_ Doesn't it hurt? _Charmander asked Ash.

Morning was almost gone and the sun was nearing the apex of its journey in the sky. The group had been traveling for a couple of hours. Their pace had slowed, a fact that frustrated Ash and Bulbasaur to no end.

But Melanie refused to let Ash push himself too hard.

"If you want to get better, then you'll rest," Melanie had scolded him when the boy had tried to have everyone pick up the pace. "Otherwise you'll set back your recovery."

"I can recover plenty at the pokémon center," Ash had tried to protest, but Melanie wouldn't hear it.

So, Ash sulked at the back of the group with Charmander.

_No, _Ash lied even as he felt his back throb with pain. If he pretended it didn't hurt then maybe everyone would start moving faster.

_Really? _Charmander tilted his head, leaned back and looked at Ash's back and stiff walk. _Why are you walking so weird then? _

_ I'm just stiff, _Ash said with gritted teeth.

_He's just acting tough, _Pikachu said, trotting along by Ash's feet.

_ I'm fine, _Ash growled.

_Ignore him. He's just grumpy. He didn't sleep well, _Pikachu continued as if he hadn't heard Ash.

_I'm fine! _Ash insisted.

_You don't sound fine, _Charmander noted.

_Okay, yes it hurts, _Ash admitted, throwing up his hands and then wincing as the motion sent a shot of pain up and down his back.

_See, just acting tough, _Pikachu said in a manner that Ash thought was far too cheery.

_Did you know it would hurt? _Charmander asked.

_I didn't really think about it, _Ash admitted through gritted teeth, slowing down as he waited for the pain in his back to fade to a more manageable level.

_That's for sure, _Pikachu muttered with a glare.

_If you had known it would hurt would you have done it? _Chamander inquired further.

_I think that if I had thought about it, I would've asked Pidgeotto to grab the vine, _Ash admitted, finally relaxing as the pain faded. _But I don't think I had time to think about it, I think. _

_ You of all people shouldn't be saying 'think' so much, _Pikachu said.

_Hush you._

_Hey, Ash, _Charmander piped up, looking pensive.

_What? _Ash replied, holding his head stiffly and looking straight ahead to avoid aggravating his back further.

_What if you had time to think but you didn't have any pokémon, _Charmander continued. _What would you have done? _

_ I- I- _Ash grimaced, knowing the reaction his answer would elicit. _I think I would've done the same thing-_

_And there's another prime example of why you shouldn't use the word 'think', _Pikachu spat out, eyes narrowing, mouth forming a frown.

_Are trainers supposed to do that? _Charmander's face was pensive and troubled.

_Do what? _Pikachu asked with a scowl. _Be idiots?_

_ Uh, _Ash started to reach up to rub the back of his head but his back reminded him why he couldn't do that.

The young trainer thought about the other trainers he knew, about Gary, about Brock, about Misty, and about his caretaker's stories of Lucas. About the love his caretakers had for their deceased trainer. About Misty taking opportunities to let her pokémon be in their preferred environment. About how Brock took care of pokémon that weren't even his, brushing and grooming them. About Gary deciding that he wanted to see what sort of evolution his eevee wanted instead of trying to influence her decision.

_I think they're supposed to have the desire, _Ash said finally. _But given how angry I made everyone, I don't think we're supposed to actually do it._

_Huh, _Charmander mused. _I don't- I don't think Damien would've ever done something like that. _

Ash carefully didn't say anything.

_ But then again, maybe it was 'cause I'm too weak, _Charmander sighed while Ash and even Pikachu winced.

_Look, _Pikachu said to Charmander, _if, and this is a big 'if', _Pikachu shot a glare at Ash, _it was expected for a trainer to act like Ash did yesterday, then they should do it for all their pokémon. Whether they're weak or not. _

_ They should do it more for weak pokémon actually, _Ash added, while Pikachu shot him an even darker look.

_ Really? _Charmander didn't look convinced.

_Weak pokémon would need it more, _Ash went on. _And if a pokémon's weak, it's because the trainer hasn't helped it become strong yet. _

_ What if the pokémon's just weak? What if it can't be made strong? _Charmander asked, scuffing at the ground with his foot.

_That's not true of any pokémon, _Ash said instantly. _Every pokémon is strong, but sometimes it's in ways you're not expecting. As a trainer not only to you have to help them become strong, you first have to figure out what strong is for the pokémon. If the pokémon's not getting stronger under your care it's because you haven't figured out how they're strong, not because they're weak. _

_ You- you really think so? _Charmander asked, looking at Ash out of the corner of his eye, his manner so shy and hopeful that Ash just wanted to give the fire type a hug.

_I was raised by a weedle and he was one of the strongest pokémon I know, _Ash informed Charmander. _I don't think so, I __**know**__ so. _

_ Really? _Charmander asked, looking up at Ash, eyes bright.

_Really, _Ash reassured the fire type.

Charmander didn't say anything else. Tears welled up in his eyes and he looked away from Ash. The boy could see the fire-type's shoulders shaking, see tear drops hitting the ground by Charmander's feet, and could hear the pokémon's quiet sobs.

Ash tried to reach out and give Charmander a hug, once again forgetting about his back.

_Ack! _The boy let out a strangled gasp of pain. _Charmander, stand still for a moment, _Ash continued in a tense voice.

Charmander complied without turning to face Ash. Ash knelt and swept Charmander up in a hug, holding his back stiff and straight not to hurt himself as he did so. The pokéraised child could feel damps spots growing on his shoulders as Charmander returned the hug and started crying openly.

Slowly, carefully, Ash stood back up, the fire type clutched in his arms.

* * *

A couple hours later the group had rearranged itself so that Charmander was in the middle of the group while Ash, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur walked at the rear.

_I imagine that everyone else has already given you a piece of their mind, _Bulbasaur told Ash, looking up at the child. _That means I'm next. I never thought I would share an opinion with the yellow menace you call a pikachu, but you Ash, you are an idiot. _

_ Who you callin' a menace? _Pikachu said, forepaws on his sides, glaring at Bulbasaur.

_I mean, _Ash was able to stop himself from beginning the motions that would lead to him rubbing the back of his head, his wound had finally driven its point home. He very gently inclined his head to meet Bulbasaur's gaze. _I know I should've had Pidgeotto counter-attack but-_

_ You coulda just tackled Squirtle out of the way! _Bulbasaur exclaimed. _And then no one would've gotten hurt! _

_ Well, there's that too I guess, _Ash replied with a careful shrug.

Bulbasaur closed his eyes and let out a noise that was a cross between a groan and a sigh. _You're so young it's almost painful. Didn't your parents teach you some basic caution?_

_ No, _Ash replied, looking away from Bulbasaur, his voice flat. _They're dead. They died when I was very young. _

_ Oh, _Bulbasaur replied, opening his eyes, expression one of discomfort. _What about the people who raised you? Did they try to teach you basic human sense? _Bulbasaur continued.

_ Well, they tried, but they were pokémon, so they had a natural disadvantage in that area, _Ash informed the grass-type.

_You were raised by pokémon? _Bulbasaur glanced over at Pikachu. _Is he pulling my leg? _

_ As far as I can tell he's serious, _Pikachu replied with a shrug. _I never met his pokémon parents though. _

_ Why didn't they just take you to an orphanage or something? _Bulbasaur asked, looking back at Ash. _It ain't like any pokémon have a natural inclination to raise human children…. Well maybe a chansey, or a kangaskhan. Were you raised by one of them? _

_ No, _Ash answered. _It was a weedle and hypno at first, and then they called in a noctowl. _

_ Why would they…_ Bulbasaur's voice trailed off and his expression grew thoughtful. _How did your parents die Ash? _

_They…. were killed by hunters who wanted to take me, _Ash said, grimacing.

_And these pokémon, I'm guessing they were one of your parent's pokémon? _Bulbasaur continued.

_No, but they were friends with some of my parent's pokémon, _Ash answered, still looking away. _They rescued me and did some investigating. All they could find was that the hunters who killed my parents were actually after me…._

_ So, they decided to hide you were no human would think to look, _Bulbasaur nodded. _From how you act with other humans I'm guessing they made sure you had some human contact when you were young? _

_ They snuck me into places, _Ash said, looking at Bulbasaur again, voice returning to normal. _I even got a few years of school! _

_ A weedle, a hypno, and a noctowl, _Bulbasaur muttered to himself. _I'm guessing the psychic abilities came in handy? _

_ Yes, _Ash almost nodded, before catching himself. _They used them to make sure my hunters didn't find me. But I might have more than one set of hunters as it turned out- _Ash filled Bulbasaur in on the details of the kidnapping attempt in Sinnoh.

_And they don't know why either group wanted you, _Bulbasaur said, mostly to himself. _I'm surprised they let you become a trainer. _

_ Well, I need to become strong enough to fight off the hunters by myself, _Ash replied. _And there are things I don't like about living in the wild. _

_ Like? _Bulbasaur asked, one eyebrow equivalent raised.

_Predation, _Ash answered with a frown. _I really don't like the fact that my friends killed each other for food. _

_ Yeah, _Bulbasaur huffed. _I have more problems with your species then I can count Ash, but at least you don't casually kill and eat each other all the time. For all your wars and murders and every other bad thing that your race does, you ain't as bad as pokémon are. _

_ As a forager, _Pikachu piped up, _I would just like to add that I've never killed another pokémon for food. _

_ Is that why you hang out with us? _Ash inquired. _Humans, I mean? _

_Yes, _Bulbasaur replied. _I went into some of the worse human places and found less death there than in the wild. _

_ And is that why you do things like protect Melanie? _Ash asked.

_Yes again, _Bulbasaur said, looking straight ahead, eyelids hooding his eyes as his mind turned to his past. _You might not be as bad as pokémon, but you humans could really be better. And if I see some humans trying to make things better, then I'll try to help them, 'cause I'd like to live in the world they're building. _

_ Of course, _Bulbasaur continued, eyes returning to normal as he came back to the present. _I don't think I need to explain that to you. _

_ Huh? _

_ You're here, helping us, _Bulbasaur explained, looking up at Ash while they walked. _You're also trying to make things better. _

_ Not exactly, _Ash frowned and looking down and to the side. _You and Melanie were being hunted and I just- I just don't want to leave someone to be hunted._

_ Oh, yes, that's so very different, _Pikachu said, rolling his eyes.

_And? _Bulbasaur asked.

_ Well, I only think like that because of my past, _Ash pointed out.

_ And? _Bulbasaur asked again.

_ Normally I'd accuse someone talking like this of acting modest, _Pikachu said, _but in your case Ash, I know you're just stupid. _

_ Well, it's not like I'm making the world better for its own sake, _Ash told Bulbasaur looking at the grass type again and ignoring Pikachu.

_'Cause helping people not to get hurt like you did is so selfish, _this time Bulbasaur rolled his eyes. _Everyone helps others 'cause of empathy. So, you wanted to help us because of something specific from your past. You still want to help us. That's enough. _

_ If you say so, _Ash replied, still not entirely agreeing.

_ No one would blame you for keeping your head down kid, _Bulbasaur went on. _Hell, that's what I woulda told you to do in your position. But instead of hiding away somewhere and focusing on getting stronger, you're here with us, risking your life to save some strangers from some other strangers. Instead of using your past as a reason to hide, you're using it as a reason to go out and help. That's what I like to see in people. _

_ Thanks, I guess, _Ash said a blush creeping up his cheeks.

_Still, I'd prefer it if Ash did some less risking his life and more hiding, _Pikachu muttered, kicking at some pebbles on the path.

_Sorry Pikachu, _Ash said, awkwardly turning his torso and bending over to look at the little yellow electric type. _But I can at least count on you to warn me when I'm being an idiot, right? _

_ Like that would've stopped you yesterday, _Pikachu muttered.

_Well, at least now I know to tackle instead of block, _Ash said with a smile. _Right Bulbasaur? _

The grass type ignored the human and looked at Pikachu. _I'm sorry Pikachu, _Bulbasaur told the electric type, _but you've got your work cut out for you I'm afraid._

* * *

More time passed as the group slowly made their way to the Yi-Lin Memorial Pokémon Center. Charmander ended up traveling next to the group of squirtles near the front of the group, with Aoba and Tauros.

Charmander stared at the ground, deep in thought, as he trudged forward. Squirtle noticed his behavior and moved closer to the fire-type.

_What's on your mind? _The water-type asked the fire-type.

_Just stuff, _Charmander answered in a quiet voice.

_What stuff? _Squirtle continued to probe.

_Lots of stuff, _Charmander answered, not so quietly this time.

_You know, I'm not going to quit bothering you until you give me a better answer, _Squirtle informed Charmander. _So, you might as well spill the beans now. _

_ Bulbasaur's right, you can be obnoxious, _Charmander sighed, still not looking up. _Fine, I was thinking about Damien. _

_ That shit-head? _Squirtle growled. _Charmander you're better off just forgetting about that asshole. _

_ Maybe, _Charmander admitted in a quiet voice, _you're right. I'm starting to think he wasn't a good trainer after all. _

The admission shocked Squirtle, who twitched back and almost stumbled.

_ What brought this on? _Squirtle asked once he had gotten his bearings.

_It's just that I can't imagine him wanting to do what Ash did yesterday, _Charmander told Squirtle, finally looking up and at the water-type. _And I think good trainers are supposed to want to do that._

_ Yeah, _Squirtle admitted. _That's sort of what Bulbasaur said too. _

_ I'm weak, _Charmander went on, giving Squirtle the urge to clutch his head in exasperation, _but according to Ash that shouldn't matter to the trainer. _

_ How many- you know what, never mind that now, _Squirtle said, ending with a sigh. _Yes, Damien was a bad trainer. Bulbasaur's been telling you that for a long time. We've been telling you that for over a week. _

_ I thought you were just trying to be nice to me, _Charmander replied. _I know I'm weak no matter how many times you try to lie to make me feel better. Yesterday I couldn't even beat those bellsprouts without Butterfree's help and I had type advantage-_

_ They also ambushed you, _Squirtle pointed out. _And it was a two on one fight while you had to protect Melanie. Type advantage helps, but it's not everything. _

_But I couldn't even protect Melanie, _Charmander whined, looking miserable.

_And I got beaten up by a machop, _Squirtle informed the fire type. _Do you think I'm weak? _Squirtle asked, jabbing a thumb into his own chest.

_No! _Charmander protested.

_But I got beaten up. Doesn't that mean I'm weak? It's why you're calling yourself weak. _

_ It's not the same, _Charmander protested with a stomp. _You're great at fighting. You were able to fight all those pokémon in the cave and you helped save me from that ratiticate and-_

_ And you helped fight off those two bellsprouts, _Squirtle told the fire type. _Even though Butterfree told me that they ambushed you and had been choking you. You did better than me yesterday._

_ I just got lucky! _Charmander shouted.

_You got lucky because you kept fighting! You got lucky because you were strong enough to get up again after they nearly choked you out! _Squirtle declared, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest.

_I got knocked out by the cubone and had to be saved by Pidgeotto and Bulbasaur, _Charmander argued.

_I had to be saved too! Again, do you think I'm weak?_

_ No! _

_ Then why do you think it's okay to call yourself weak? _Squirtle asked, leaning forward into Charmander's face. Despite being the shorter of the two Squirtle seemed to loom over Charmander. _Because everything you're calling yourself weak for could apply to me! _

_ It's not the same! _Charmander shouted, leaning back from Squirtle.

_Why not!? _

_ It just isn't! _Charmander screamed, closing his eyes. There were several seconds of silence before anyone spoke.

_I get that you're trying to make me feel better, _Charmander said, opening his eyes, but looking at the ground between them instead of meeting Squirtle's eyes, _but please don't. I know I'm weak. Quit lying to me. _

_ Ehhh…. Urg, _Squirtle groaned, rubbing the space between his eyes. _Fine I'll drop the subject for now. But this isn't over! _

_ It is, _Charmander said gently and then sighed. _I wonder if I can learn to look good? Maybe I can become a coordinator's pokémon. Or maybe I can find a trainer that won't mind weak pokémon. _

_ Well, I don't get the 'wanting to be beautiful' thing that coordinators and their pokémon have going on, I don't see anything wrong with it, if that's what you want, _Squirtle said, patting Charmander's shoulder. _But you don't need a human you know. You can stay with the squad if you want. _

_ I- I'm not sure what I want to do, _Charmander admitted, fidgeting. _I like fighting, I'm just not very good at it. _

_You can playfight with us, _Squirtle threw an arm around Charmander's shoulder and gestured forwards and towards the sky with his other arm. _Just imagine the future wherever we end up settling. Playfighting, eating, pranking, and napping as our hearts desire! _

_ But we won't get stronger that way, _Charmander said. _I mean, I'm weak, but I still want to __**try**__ to get stronger. But that won't happen if I don't do anything but play, eat, and nap. _

_ Yeah, well, _Squirtle sighed, _getting stronger would require training, and my squad doesn't want to do anything like training. _

_ Because they all had bad trainers? _Charmander inquired, peeking up as he asked.

_Yeah….. _Squirtle sighed again. _I wish- well, I guess it isn't important. _

_ What do you wish for? _Charmander asked, looking curious. _You can tell me. _

_ I just wish there was a way I could get stronger, like a trainer, _Squirtle said. _I never had a trainer, so I don't know what it's like. I only know what I've heard from others. Not just my squad; I've talked with some pokémon who did have good experiences with their trainers. I want to try something like the good things I hear. _

_ Then why don't you go get a trainer? _Charmander asked.

_'Cause I know what it's like when things go wrong, _Squirtle said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to point at another member of the Squirtle Squad. _Or take a look at you. I'd have to be absolutely sure I found a good trainer before I risked becoming their pokémon. _

_ Oh, _Charmander replied.

_Besides, I've got my squad to look after, _Squirtle went on. _I'd have to make sure they were somewhere safe before I went looking for a trainer._

_ That might not be too hard, _Charmander stated. _I mean Melanie can watch over them for you! And then you could go looking for a trainer…. But I guess making sure that you've found a good one would be really hard. _

_ Well, maybe not, _Squirtle said glancing back towards the rest of the group. _It might be easier than I thought._

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading.

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for all the comments and reviews.

And on that note, don't forget to review!


	26. Chapter 26

Night came and the group finally halted.

Ash gingerly sat down on a log, too exhausted and in too much pain to even make a token effort at protesting when Aoba and Melanie started to set up his tent for him. Pikachu gently nuzzled into the boy's side while Ash opened his backpack with slow, careful movements and retrieved yet another disgusting energy bar for his dinner.

"I am going to be so happy to see that pokémon center," Ash declared. "And I hope I never have to see another one of **these**"- he nearly spat the word, glaring at the energy bar- "again."

"There are worse things out there," Aoba said while he helped Melanie with the finishing touches on Ash's tent. "You've never seen some of the cooking experiments that I came across in university."

"Sciencey cooking?" Ash asked.

"Not always, it was mostly drunk cooking," Aoba told him. "Too much beer and sake led to some rather…. Shall we say unique and unsettling dishes."

"Ah, yes, college cooking fun," Melanie sighed happily. "I've got a few horror stories from the botany labs. Have you ever seen someone try to make a triple decker sandwich using a vileplume pollen inspired sauce, victreebel leaves, and exeggutor clippings?"

"No, but there was a sort of sciency cooking incident that tops that. One time someone created a new life form from cloned ditto tissue and then cooked it after it died," Aoba replied. "Funnily enough it did taste alright. Last I heard Alice was thinking about trying to take it commercial."

"Oh my," Melanie said giggling and covering her mouth.

"It would be an improvement from most cloned meat, or so I hear," Aoba went on grinning. "I know some people claim that they can taste the difference between the cloned stuff and the real meat, but I can't. Ted's always so offended….." Aoba trailed off, his grin fading. Melanie paused in her work.

"Ted **was** always so offended by my choice of deli meats." Aoba rallied, continuing to talk, "He always claimed I had no palate and that's why I was never allowed to help out with the baking."

Aoba shook his head and smiled again, but Ash could see the wetness leaking out of the corner of his eyes. "Baking is supposed to just be applied chemistry, but I was never up to his standards. I could put together a list of ingredients, but I could never pick the right type of ingredient. I always got the wrong type of eggs or something."

"I know I had a large amount of trouble along those lines when I started cooking out here," Melanie said, making a point not to look at Aoba's face as she resumed working on Ash's tent. "You can't substitute blueberries for blackberries, or chestnuts for acorns, at least not if you want things to taste acceptable. It took me two years to understand that."

"Before I met Ted, I just ate what was in front of me," Aoba confessed, hiding his face behind Ash's tent, pretending to fiddle with a strap. "Meals were just something I did so you wouldn't be hungry, you know? Coffee, I learned to appreciate coffee because drinking a cup was a little ritual to start the day or take a break. But food was just fuel."

Ash didn't say anything and neither did Melanie.

"But meals became a ritual too after we started living together," Aoba went on, lost in a memory. His voice was growing tighter, higher, and Ash could hear the unshed tears in it. "I learned to appreciate food like I did coffee, because it meant I was taking time to sit down with him."

Once more Ash and Melanie were silent.

"And now I'll never get to do it again," Aoba said, falling to his knees and disappearing behind Ash's tent. Melanie rushed around the tent and Ash followed as fast as he could without aggravating his back.

Aoba was kneeling on the ground, body wracked with silent sobs. Melanie knelt down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Aoba, I'm going to hug you, is that alright?" the blue haired woman asked the sobbing scientist. The man nodded and Melanie wrapped her arm around his shoulder and embraced him.

"It's okay," she cooed. "It's okay. Just let it all out."

"Why?" Aoba asked in a tone Ash couldn't remember another human ever using. "Why did they have to kill him? They wanted me, why did he have to die? Why couldn't they have just killed me instead? It hurts so much. I'd rather be the one who was dead."

"So, you could hurt him like this?" Ash opened his mouth without thinking.

"What?" Aoba looked up with eyes full of tears.

"Sorry," Ash said, realizing what he had said. "But if he loved you back, then he would probably be feeling like this if you were dead."

"Yes," Aoba looked down over Melanie's shoulder, tears falling to the ground. "But he'd be alive to do so. That's the point."

Ash grimaced and didn't say anything.

Looking at the broken man in front of him, Ash wondered if Aoba's hunters understood what pain they had caused, or if they could even care. Those faceless figures in the shadows chasing the scientists, Ash wondered what would happen if they ever felt grief. What would happen if Aoba's hunters could care about someone? What would happen if they lost that person?

But Ash couldn't imagine the hunters as people, not really. They couldn't know human emotions, human pain. Because, if they knew that pain, then why would they cause it?

Aoba eventually regained control of himself. He stood up, accepted a hand-towel from Melanie, and cleaned his face while sniffing.

"I'm sorry," Aoba finished wiping up his face, "I can't seem to do anything but cry."

"You don't need to apologize," Melanie said softly. "I know what it's like."

"Yeah," Ash chimed in. "We all cry sometimes."

"Yes, but we've got more important things to worry about then my feelings," Aoba told them. "Such as how we're all going to survive the next couple of days."

"Maybe they've given up," Melanie suggested with a shrug. "Or maybe they went back to help their teammates deal with Brock and Misty?"

"I certainly hope they did," Aoba responded.

"But you don't think they did," Ash pointed out. "I don't think they did either," Ash continued, turning to Melanie.

"I was certainly being more hopeful than I was being realistic," Melanie admitted. "But Aaron, you and Bulbasaur did beat them once already. Isn't it a possibility that they've given up? Or maybe they don't have any pokémon left."

Ash thought for a moment, carefully resting his chin in his hand. What would he do if he had been trying to attack Aoba?

Well, he never would, so Ash thought about what he would do if he was trying to destroy some piece of equipment that was meant to be used for nefarious purposes?

What could he have known about himself, or at least the people who would be doing the same thing in the hypothetical situation that Ash was doing in real life? He knew that they knew they were being tracked….. actually, Ash realized that he wouldn't know that for sure. He wouldn't know if the group he would be tracking in the hypothetical situation would know that he had split off from his main group.

Ash would be able to know the number of pokémon that were out, at least possibly. Well, he would if he had a way to scout, that was. If he didn't, he would have to learn what pokémon were out when he attacked for the first time. And he would have to wait until he attacked to see if he couldn't see what pokémon were still kept in their pokéballs.

So, then he wouldn't use everything he had for that first attack, not if he had a choice, Ash realized. If he sent in everything at once, he might stumble right into a pokémon that could hard-counter his pokémon and then everything would be over.

"They'll have pokémon left," Ash told Aoba and Melanie. "They wouldn't want to send all their pokémon at us unless they knew what we had."

"And after the attack yesterday they know what fighting pokémon we have," Melanie nodded, following along. "That means they're going to attack us again."

"We've got to-"Ash started talking, making the mistake of standing up quickly as he did so. His back immediately reminded him why that was a bad idea.

"We have got to deal with this in the morning," Melanie gently chided, moving to assist Ash. "You need to rest so you can recover."

"No," Ash shook his head. "We need to think of what we need to do as soon as we can!"

"Aaron, kid, you need to relax," Aoba said, coming to help Melanie with the boy. "You need to recover before you think you can take care of protecting anyone."

"No time," Ash gasped as the two adults helped him over to a new seat. "They could come back anytime."

"Well then, we already wasted the entire day," Aoba pointed out, "since we're only discussing this now. Aaron, it's time for you to rest. We'll talk this over in the morning when you've had a chance to sleep on it."

"What if they come back tonight?" Ash asked as the other two humans led him into his tent.

"What if they had come back last night?" Melanie asked, gently holding the boy's arm. "I can take first watch, and then Bulbasaur and the Squirtle Squad can handle the other watches. Just like last night. If they come, we'll at least be ready to run."

"I shoulda come up with a plan last night," Ash groaned. "I screwed up."

_Idiot, _Pikachu slapped himself in the face and groaned through his forepaw. _Why do I have to have the stupidest human in the world as a trainer? Why are you so eager to push yourself too hard?_

"Aaron," Aoba sighed, "just sleep, okay? I'll come up with a plan in case they attack us tonight."

"You've done this before?" Ash asked as Melanie unzipped the tent and the two adults helped him inside.

"Not exactly," Aoba admitted. "But I played rugby in university, so I know a tiny bit about tactics."

"What's rugby?" Ash asked as Melanie unrolled his sleeping back.

"It's a sport where you try to get a ball to the opposite side of the field, like soccer," Aoba explained, "but instead of only being able to kick the ball, you can throw it or run it too. But if you're running the ball you can get tackled."

"Oh," Ash said.

"Do you need help getting undressed?" Melanie asked after Ash's sleeping bag was set up. "Or can you handle it yourself?"

"I'm good," Ash said almost indecent haste. "I can do it."

"We'll leave you to it then," Melanie said. "Actually, can you let out Pidgeotto and Butterfree first? We'll need them to help stand guard tonight."

White light blazed and Ash's other two pokémon joined the group.

"Pidgeotto, can you join Aoba on first watch?" Melanie asked. "We'll need you to fly some sort patrols. And Butterfree, can you join me on second watch? It'll be too dark to fly patrols, but if you could try to, uh, psychically sense Team Rocket, that would help."

"That's not a bad idea," Ash said. "Pidgeotto, Butterfree, listen to the lady."

_On it! _Pidgeotto said with a mock salute of her wing.

_I'll nap until it's my turn, _Butterfree said, fluttering outside the tent.

"That's settled then," Melanie said with a nod. "Now Aaron, go to bed. We'll need you at your best tomorrow."

"Fine," Ash sighed. The two adults left the tent.

_You know, if you hadn't been so stupid yesterday, people wouldn't be fussing over you now, _Pikachu pointed out.

_So, everyone has made clear, _Ash sighed. _Honestly, I think not being able to move properly is bothering me worse than anything else. _

_Maybe that will keep you out of trouble then, _Pikachu huffed as Ash undressed and crawled into his sleeping bag.

_I doubt it,_Ash yawned, laying back in his sleeping bag. And then he sighed.

_What? _Pikachu asked as he curled up on Ash's chest.

_It's just- I don't know, _Ash grimaced. _This Ted guy is dead, Aoba's hurting, Melanie's life is wrecked, and all of the pokémon she was taking care of are suffering. And we don't even know why this is all happening. _

_'Cause Team Rocket is a bunch of bastards, that's why, _Pikachu replied, closing his eyes.

_But why start this? _Ash asked, looking up at the tent ceiling. He sighed again. _I mean I know they're awful, but why are they being awful to Aoba specifically? And why did they decide to go after Melanie too? _

_ Who cares? _Pikachu said, not bothering to open his eyes.

_I do, _Ash told his pokémon.

_Then you'll have to capture some member of Team Rocket and ask them, _Pikachu told his trainer. _But you can worry about that in the morning. Go to sleep before I call Butterfree over here to use Sleep Powder._

* * *

Aoba and Melanie stood outside Aaron's tent. They had a quick conversation about the logistics of that night's watch schedule and then Aoba turned around to head off to take first watch.

Before he could get far, however, Melanie spoke up again.

"Aoba, about that plan you mentioned to Aaron earlier," she started, making Aoba turn around to face her. She was giving him a pointed, unamused look that made him want to squirm. "If Team Rocket attacks tonight you wouldn't happen to be planning to lead them away from us by sacrificing yourself, now would you?"

"Uh," Aoba winced. That actually had been his plan.

Melanie slowly shook her head.

"Here's a new plan," she told the former biochemist, hands on her hips. "You shout to wake everyone up and then we all do our best to fight or run, **together**. Do I make myself clear?"

"It would be best if I-"Aoba tried to protest, but Melanie cut him off.

"If you don't think you can agree to that plan, I'll have to ask Bulbasaur to keep an eye on you," she went on. "Or maybe I can convince Butterfree to use Sleep Powder."

Aoba grimaced. "I'm not worth it," he said to the blue haired woman. "I-"

"Am under my care, just like all the pokémon here," Melanie finished for him. "And I'm not going to abandon you anymore than I would abandon one of them. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am," Aoba said, defeated.

"Good," Melanie nodded. "Now I believe you have first watch."

* * *

Team Rocket did not attack them that night.

Ash woke up to a back that was hurting, but the pain was not as bad as it had been yesterday. While getting up, he discovered that his range of movement had increased.

Ash reflect that it looked like there actually had been something to everyone 'go rest' arguments.

Ash dressed and got out of his tent to find Pidgeotto and Butterfree sleeping in a nearby tree. The pokémon from the village were scattered around the forest, sleeping. Ash noticed that the Squirtle Squad was sleeping in a pile close to his tent.

He must have made some noise because the squad's leader jerked a few times and then sat up, adjusting his sunglasses and yawning.

_Good morning, _Ash said to Squirtle.

_Thanks, _Squirtle replied with another yawn. _Good morning to you too. _

_ Thanks, _Ash replied. He and Squirtle stood there for a full minute of silence that grew more and more awkward.

_So, uh, thanks for taking that hit for me, _Squirtle said, rubbing the back of his head and looking at the ground.

_You're, uh, welcome, _Ash replied, remembering not to shrug.

_Does it- Does it still hurt? _Squirtle asked.

_Yeah. _

_ Oh. That's too bad. _

_ Thanks. _

_ Um….. I'm sorry that you had to do that for me, _Squirtle said hesitantly. _I should've handled that fight better. _

_ It's okay, _Ash reassured the water type. _We all had some tough fights that day. _

_ Yeah, but, well,_Squirtle shuffled his feet as he searched for the words, _I'm the leader of the Squirtle Squad. I'm supposed to do better than that. _

_ I mean you weren't fighting with your full squad, _Ash said. _And they had type advantage. _

_ It doesn't matter, _Squirtle grimaced. _It's my responsibility to take care of my squirtles and I couldn't do that. You ended up having to do it. _

_ Well, I mean, you were only in this situation because you're protecting Melanie and her pokémon, _Ash pointed out. _And you did succeed at that. You stopped Team Rocket from attacking us from the rear. I just helped you with the stuff that came after. _

_ I guess, _Squirtle sighed. _But still… I should've done better. _

_ Why? _Ash inquired.

_ Just- just because, _Squirtle said, looking up at the morning sky. _I guess it's because the reason I became the leader of the Squirtle Squad was to take care of my comrades, which I didn't do yesterday._

_Why did you need to make the Squirtle Squad to do that?_

_Well, they were hurting too much to live normally in the wild, _Squirtle explained._ I thought I could help them remember how to do live like that again. Get them to change back, ya know? But I ended up changing instead. _

_ I mean, I became a lot cooler! _Squirtle said, smiling over at Ash and sticking his inner claws up in an imitation of the human 'thumbs up' gesture. _We got these sweet shades and had cool adventures! _Squirtle quit smiling as he went on. _But I never got them to learn how to live like they used to. I think they actually miss living like trained pokémon. _

_ I mean, yeah, _Ash replied. Poké_mon with a trainer don't have to worry about hunting or being hunted. I'm guessing that the Squritle Squad doesn't hunt? _

_ Yes, _Squirtle nodded.

_And you probably don't have to worry about predators as much because you're living in a group, _Ash went on.

_Yeah, _Squirtle nodded again. _Hmm…. I guess you're right about them missing the life. _And then the water-type sighed. _But they're not getting stronger like trained pokémon are supposed to. I mean I started getting stronger when I took over, there was a lot of stuff I had to learn. But now I'm not getting stronger. And I think that's going to be a problem. _

_ Maybe, _Ash stopped himself from shrugging. _I mean, it sounds like before Aoba stumbled across you guys, the Squirtle Squad was more than strong enough to protect the village from whatever it had to deal with? _

_ The occasional pokémon poacher snooping around and maybe a big pokémon on a rampage, _Squirtle told Ash. _At least that's what Bulbasaur said that he had to deal with. _

_ It doesn't sound like you needed to be stronger then, _Ash told the water type. _You were plenty strong-_

_No, _Squirtle shook his head. _We weren't strong enough to stop the trouble following Aoba. I wasn't strong enough to protect my team and my team wasn't strong enough to protect everyone else without help. _

_ Well you did have help, _Ash pointed out.

_ Not the right sort of help, _Squirtle sighed. _I need help getting stronger. If I can't help my squad remember how to live wild again, then I need to be strong enough to lead them through whatever danger they have to deal with. _

_ Oh, _Ash said and then there was a stretch of silence.

_Do you have any tips on how to get stronger? _Squirtle asked.

_Uh….. _Ash thought about the question. _I guess? Do you know what you're good at yet? _

_ I'm a bit of a generalist, _Squirtle replied. _But I've got a slight edge when it comes to special attacks over physical combat. _

_ Well then, you've already done that, _Ash thought some more. _I don't think I've had a chance to see you fight, so I'm not sure what you need to improve on. Or what new things you should learn. Hmm…. maybe once we get to the pokémon center we can work together and see what you can do. _

_ Sure, _Squirtle replied with a sigh. _We can make a decision then. _

_ Huh? _Ash felt like he had missed a piece of the conversation.

_Don't worry about it, _Squirtle said with a wave of his forepaw. _We've got other things to worry about today. _

Squirtle started to wake up the rest of his squad while Ash watched, puzzled. And then the human shrugged and set about to tending to his pokémon.

* * *

"We need a plan," Ash announced to his pokémon and to Bulbasaur, Charmander, and the Squirtle Squad. "For when Team Rocket attacks up again."

They were all gathered in a clearing, having finished with their various breakfasts. Melanie was checking over Aoba and a few of the pokémon from the village, making sure that everyone was still healthy. Ash knew that if he wasn't careful, she would insist of checking up on him as well. His back was feeling a lot better that morning, but he didn't want to give her any excuses to slow the group down.

_They're probably going to have more pokémon this time, _Ash went on. _And they've got a good idea of what we can do. So, we can't rely on the same tricks as last time. _

_ What do you think they'll do differently? _Bulbasaur asked.

_Well, for one, if they have any dark or steel types that they didn't send out last time, they'll send them against Butterfree this time, _Ash told the grass type. _Let's see… that's all I can say for sure right now. I think they'll just mainly be prepared for the tactics we used last time. So, we have to think of some new things. _

_ Like what? _One of the squirtles asked.

_ I don't know, _Ash confessed. _I mean, I've got a few ideas, but I don't know if you'll like them. _

_ Just toss 'em out here, _another squirtle said.

_ We might need to work on having Pidgeotto and Charmander counter their bellsprouts, _Ash told the squad. _And that means we'll have to practice coordinating. _

_ You mean we'll have to train, _one of the squirlte said in a dark tone.

_Yeah, _Ash grimaced. _I know. But maybe Squirtle and Bulbasaur can work on training you instead of me. _

_ I don't know how to train pokémon, _Squirtle protested, fiddling with his angular sunglasses.

_I know a few tricks, _Bulbasaur replied. _Learning how to coordinate with flying types isn't that uncommon. _

_ It's a good start, _Ash said, nodding. _But it's not going to be enough. Especially if they attack while we're in the middle of training. _

Ash drew in a deep breath and winced. He knew his next suggestion wasn't going to be popular. _We might need the other pokémon to help us. _

_ No! _ Bulbasaur growled.

_They can't fight! _Squirtle protested.

_Ash, have you forgotten why they're here? _Pikachu asked. _They're not up to this. _

_ Well then, they might have to, _Ash replied. _Either here, or when they're captured by Team Rocket. _

_ They won't be very good at fighting though, _Pidgeotto pointed out.

_Well, I didn't mean I wanted them to fight-fight, _Ash explained. _I just thought they could help us. They might have some moves that could prove useful. _

_ Well, that makes more sense, _Pidgeotto said.

_Why didn't you say it like that in the first place? _Squirtle asked.

_Ash is an idiot, more news at eleven, _Pikachu said, rolling his eyes.

_It's not an idea I like, but it's one I might have to put up with, _Bulbasaur grumbled. _We'll have to find out what moves they know. _

_ While we're at it, do you know if there's a list of what pokémon were actually at the village? _Ash inquired.

It turned out there had been two geodudes, four caterpies, three rattatas, five pidgeies, three bellsprouts, two weepinbells, a staryu, two magikarps, and a tauros that had been at the village when Team Rocket had attacked. Bulbasaur had mentioned that some of the wild pokémon near the village had been former patients of Melanie's, but they hadn't joined the group from the village.

_We had a croconaw stay with us for a little while, _Bulbasaur said. _Her trainer got rid of her because she had temper issues. She probably got those issues from that piece of shit trainer. I had to help Melanie keep her from hurting anyone; it used to be my biggest chore. _The grass type sighed. _It's a shame she ain't with us now. _

One of the bellsprouts and the two weepinbells knew Sleep Powder. The geodudes knew Rock Throw. One of the rattatas knew Super Fang. Three of the pidgeies knew Gust. All the caterpies knew String Shot, though none could claim any skill with it. The staryu only knew Water Gun. And Tauros only knew Tackle and Horn Attack.

_Do you think you can do anything with that? _Squirtle asked after the human had finished talking to the pokémon from the village. Bulbasaur had decided to distract Melanie while Ash had been doing that by dragging Charmander over to her for a checkup.

Unfortunately for Bulbasaur, Melanie decided to give the grass type one too while he was there.

_Hmmm… _Ash murmured. _Well, I can't think of anything revolutionary, but there might be a couple of tricks we can do. We also need to talk about how we can counter the pokémon they attacked us with last time. _

_ What's your plan? _Squirtle asked.

_Pidgeotto takes care of that machop, you guys can take care of the aron, the cubone and the slugma, Bulbasaur can keep the bellsprouts busy, Pikachu's got the zubats again, and we'll keep Butterfree in reserve, _Ash told the water type.

_It seems like you're just relying on type advantage, _Squirtle pointed out.

_I mean, yeah, _Ash shrugged, careful not to aggravate his back. _We don't have time to set up anything complex and complicated plans are easy to mess up. If we had a better way to keep an eye on them, then we could maybe try to lure them into a trap but Pidgeotto's the only one who can do that. And I don't want to put her in danger by sending her out to scout them alone. _

_ If something happened to her we'd be blind, _Squirtle nodded.

_ Well, that and she'd be hurt and we'd have no way to help, _Ash said, _but being blind would be another issue. _

_ Also, true, _Squirtle agreed.

_And then there's those unknown pokémon, _Ash sighed. _We can't make a good plan to deal with them if we don't even know what they're going to be. _

_Oh, great, _Squirtle growled. _Now I'm starting to get worried about what they might bring. _

_ Welcome to my world, _Ash sighed. _Now let's see what else we can do._

* * *

Ash spent most of the day talking to pokémon, scurrying around the group as they traveled to confer the pokémon from the village, or the Squirtle Squad, or to talk things over with Pikachu and Bulbasaur.

By the time the sun had started to sink Ash thought that he had done all that he could to prepare.

Unfortunately, what he had been able to do was not nearly enough.

Ash had managed to come up with a rudimentary plan, got it checked over, and then made sure everyone knew about the plan. On top of that, Ash had done his best to get the pokémon from the village to practice their part in the plan, so that they wouldn't be completelyunprepared when the attack came.

And that had been a mess.

Ash's back was hurting from having to dodge accidental showers of Sleep Powder, stray String Shots, inaccurately thrown rocks, and the high winds of accidently discharged Gust attacks. The black-haired boy silently groaned, just thinking about how much worse it was going to be, having to deal with the upcoming Rocket attack with his injured back.

The boy fell into step alongside Tauros and Aoba, discreetly leaning on the pokémon. The man's eyes were still red rimmed, his face was too pale, but the former biochemist was looking healthier than Ash had ever seen him (in the few days that he had known the man).

"How are you feeling? Ash and Aoba asked each other at the same time.

"You go first," Aoba said. "You were hurt more recently."

"You were hurt worse," Ash shot back.

"And I'm the adult here," Aoba rebutted, sitting up straighter. "It's my job to make sure you're alright and get you a juice box if you're feeling thirsty."

"Do you have one?" Ash asked eagerly. Juice boxes had been a rare treat in his life, usually only found at school.

"Sorry kid," Aoba said, looking like he was holding back some laughter. "Maybe I'll treat you to one when we get to the pokémon center. How's your back?"

"It hurts," Ash admitted with a grimace, "but it's better then it used to be."

"Well, that's good to hear," Aoba said.

"Now it's your turn," Ash said, giving a pointed stare to Aoba. "How are you."

"Surprisingly good," Aoba answered, tenderly prodding at the wound on his side. "Melanie's done a pretty good job."

"That's good news!" Ash said with a broad grin on his face. "Maybe you won't even need a doctor when we get to the pokémon center!"

"You know, technically speaking, I am a doctor," Aoba told the boy.

"Should we call you Doctor Aoba then?"

"No, that's alright. I just sometimes like to brag about surviving graduate school." Aoba said, face neutral, but there was a grin hidden in his voice.

"Was it that bad?" Ash inquired. "School was pretty fun for me."

Aoba blinked, looking surprised at Ash's statement. "I generally don't hear that from anyone under eighteen," the man said. "Most people don't enjoy school until they get to university."

"Why not?" Ash asked. Except for first grade and his first day of fifth grade, Ash had always enjoyed himself at school.

"I don't know," Aoba replied with a shrug. "I didn't particularly enjoy primary school, but I didn't have anything against it either. If nothing else, the library had a nice collection of non-fiction books."

"School was were all the people were though!" Ash exclaimed. "That's where I got to see all my friends!"

"None of my friends went to the same school as me," Aoba replied. "I found school boring when we weren't in science class or when I wasn't in the library."

"Why didn't you make some more friends at school?" Ash asked, unconsciously taking his weight off of Tauros while he was distracted by the conversation.

"My fellow students didn't share my interests," Aoba confessed. "I wasn't very interested in pokémon, pokémon training, pokémon coordinating, or sports. I was the oddball interested in chemistry instead. It wasn't until high school that I found friends who shared my interests in Chemistry Club."

"Oh," Ash said. He searched his memory, trying to think of someone who hadn't been interested in pokémon in the schools he had gone to. He drew a blank.

"Since you're a pokémon trainer, I'm guessing you didn't have that problem," Aoba said with a crooked smile.

"Well, not really," Ash said, reaching to rub the back of his head. But his back twinged as he reached up and Ash stopped himself with a flare of annoyance. He hated how much his back was limiting his movements.

"Yeah, stiches are never fun," Aoba, who had been watching Ash, said.

"I keep not thinking about them and almost doing something that hurts," Ash complained.

"Yep," Aoba agreed. "And then there's the itching."

"Oh, that's going to happen?" Ash groaned.

"Oh yes," Aoba hissed, glaring at his side where his stiches were. "And then all your doctors warn you not to scratch them."

"Oh no," Ash moaned, thinking of the stitches running up the length of his back.

"And then we're going to need to see a doctor when it's time to remove the stiches," Aoba went on. "And then they'll scold us for scratching the itch, remove the stitches, and then tell us again not to scratch the itch."

"Great," Ash leaned against Tauros again.

"And the doctors will tell us how it's our fault for everything taking so long," Aoba complained. "Like we're **so **happy with the situation."

"Really?" Ash whined. He didn't want his medical ordeal to get any worse.

"Oh yes," Aoba nodded. "I've been through stiches enough times to know the pattern." Seeing Ash's quizzical look, Aoba went on, "the graduate school chemistry labs tended to have problems with….. pressurized combustion. And the biology labs had subjects that weren't always feeling cooperative. You either learned how to duck or how to deal with stiches."

"What sort of things didn't feel cooperative?" Ash inquired.

Aoba spent the rest of the day's journey regaling Ash with tales from his time at graduate school. Ash listened to stories about idiot geniuses and their dangerous experiments, about drunken hijinks, about the stupid fights and about the childish rivalries the twenty-something students were constantly engaged in.

Time passed quickly and before Ash knew it Melanie and Bulbasaur were indicating that it was time for the group to stop and rest. They struck up camp, ate, set up a watch schedule and then everyone went to bed.

Laying in his sleeping bag Ash thought back on his conversation with Aoba. About the glimpse of the man's life he had seen during their travels. About how that life was in danger of being snuffed out by Team Rocket.

Ash wondered how many lives like Aoba's, how many lives like his own were threatened by hunters. How many unique experiences and stories could disappear into the void because inhuman human monsters had decided that they needed to die or vanish?

It wasn't a comforting train of thought.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading.

Again, thank you all for the reviews and comments.

On one hand, I'm worried that I'm being a bit melodramatic with Aoba's grief here. On the other hand, though, I know some people who actually process grief in that manner. Whether its melodramatic or not might be up to your personal experience. Guess we'll just have to see.

Anyway, don't forget to leave a review!


	27. Chapter 27

Dave sat back on a fallen tree, perusing his map by the dim lantern light. He looked up on the sky and sighed.

"Still no word from Aki?" A voice asked from behind him. Dave turned to see Toji leaning against a nearby tree, also looking up into the night sky.

"Still nothing," Dave confirmed and then sighed. "I have no idea how she and her group are doing."

"No news might be good news," Toji suggested with a small shrug. "Maybe she's not sending word of her victory because she's coming to assist us and doesn't want the messenger pidgey to be intercepted?"

"Or maybe she and all of her team are dead," Dave replied, still looking up at the sky as if he thought he might catch a glimpse of a small flying type carrying a message. "Crushed under an onix."

"Well, we won't know until we either finish our job or she sends word," Toji said.

"We'll be done after tomorrow night," Dave said. "I just hope we can make it all back."

"Well, I doubt studying that map for another hour will do anything but make you tired," Toji told the other man.

"I don't want to miss something," Dave stared at the map again. "They put up a good fight last time. I don't want to underestimate that group and lose people unnecessarily."

"Which is why you were so cautious with that first attack?" Toji stated. "And why you waited so long to attack them again?"

"I'm not going to lie, yes, that was the reason," Dave admitted, still staring at the map. "It's bad enough we had to leave Aki and her people behind. I'm not going to risk your lives when we've got the target in our sights, still days away from help or escape."

"I guess that we got lucky when that kid got hurt," Toji said, looking into the forest. Dave wondered if the other man was deliberately avoiding his gaze. "It slowed them down, gave us some more time."

"I guess we did get lucky," Dave replied. "We could have gotten luckier and killed him quickly. Or we could have gotten extremely lucky and knocked him and his pokémon out so that we could have psychic wipe his memory instead of killing him."

"Hmmm," Toji hummed in a manner that struck Dave as noncommittal.

"But we probably won't get that lucky," Dave moved to try and look at Toji's face, but it was just outside of the feeble light of his lantern. "And he won't either."

"Poor kid."

"It's how the world works," Dave sighed, giving up on seeing the man's face. "Sometimes something has to be destroyed if you want to create something new."

"You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs?" Toji quipped.

"Maybe," Dave shrugged. "Look if you think there's a way to spare the kid, without endangering our mission or our team, then I'd love to hear it."

"I don't," Toji replied. "I made my peace with his death. Just like I've made my peace with that woman's death."

"I know," Dave looked down at his hands. "I made a mistake and now we've got to kill two innocent bystanders."

"Heh," Dave looked up at the sound and saw Toji staring at him, a smirk on the purple haired man's face. "See, this is why I like working with you. You're getting mad at yourself, rather than at the target who decided to randomly switch mugs, or at the bystanders that have decided to protect the target."

"If I had made a better plan, or had a back-up plan- "Dave began, but Toji cut him off.

"And if the back-up plan had failed? Or if some fluke had ruined your other plan and raised an alarm?" Toji asked. "Shit happens. But most people blame the shit. You, you blame yourself for not wearing gloves."

"It's reassuring," Toji continued, walking over to stand behind Dave's shoulder. "And if I'm going to have to kill a child, then I'd rather do it under your command, because at least that way I'm pretty sure that it's absolutely necessary."

"Thanks," Dave said with a pale, small, smile. "I think."

Toji clasped a hand on the sitting man's shoulder. "But, when you've spent these last couple hours awake, when you could be sleeping, staring at a map that you've already memorized, that's when I start to worry. Maybe you should go to sleep now. We'll need you at your best tomorrow."

Dave sighed. He knew that the other man was probably correct. But they were already in their current situation because he hadn't prepared enough earlier.

His conflict must have shown on his face because Toji rolled his eyes and huffed.

"Go to bed." The purple haired man sighed. "I know the plan. I'll look over the map when I'm on watch and tell you if I noticed anything that could go wrong."

Dave took a deep breath. "Okay," he agreed.

And then the man who had murdered the café owner named Ted went off to enjoy a night's rest.

* * *

Morning came and the group from the village greeted it with bleary eyes, groans, and fumbling for breakfast.

After feeding his pokémon, Ash wandered over to Melanie to join her for breakfast. He hoped that human company might do something to make the energy bar more tolerable. Or at least he would have someone to complain to.

He found her looking over a map with the Yin-Li Memorial Pokémon Center marked in red, pointing at parts of the map and muttering.

"I think we're here," Ash said, pointing to a spot on the map that fit the landmarks around them.

"That fits," Melanie sighed. "Thank you."

"How far do we still have to go?" Ash inquired. Melanie muttered some more and Ash watched her take some measurements.

"We're still three days out," Melanie answered when she was done.

"I thought it was only a seven-day journey?"

"It was," Melanie answered, refolding the map. "But we lost some time after that attack and we've had to move slower because of your injury."

"We shouldn't have done that," Ash said clenching a fist. "We should have pushed on-"

"And maybe we would be at the pokémon center by now," Melanie interrupted. "Or maybe they would have attacked us as we traveled in the night when they saw how much time we were making. And maybe you would have pushed yourself so hard that you could no longer stand when they found us."

Ash looked down at the ground, unsure of what to say.

Melanie sighed. "Of course, it's also possible that we might have stumbled over some sort of aid closer to the pokémon center. It's impossible to know all the consequences of our choices in the moment we make it. We just have to make the best choices we can in the moment and hope that things will work out for the best."

"What if they don't?" Ash asked, still looking at the ground.

"Then we just have to live with the consequences the best we can," Melanie said with a shrug. "I won't tell you to quit worrying, but you'll just have to accept that we've made our choice already. Worry about the next choices we'll have to make."

* * *

Ash found himself constantly uncomfortable during the day's journey. He kept feeling a tenseness in the back of his neck, like there was some predator about to pounce, like there was an arrow drawn and pointed at him, as if he would have to whirl around at any moment to defend himself.

The tenseness combined with the whip-wound actually made the day somewhat painful. Ash would find himself tensing and then jerking in pain as the action aggravated his earlier injury.

It was a thoroughly miserable morning.

When noon came a grumpy Ash found himself traveling next to Charmander after Pikachu decided that he should patrol the group. Ash wondered if Pikachu had just wanted to escape Ash's mutterings.

_Stupid bellsprouts, if I see them again, I'm going to have Pikachu shock them until they cry, _Ash muttered.

_Uh, _Charmander began, but stopped when the grumpy human looked at him.

_What? _Ash grumbled.

_Nevermind, _Charmander looked away as they walked along.

_You clearly had something on your mind, _Ash growled. _Just say it. _

_ Well, since Team Rocket has already found us, can we do some of that Flamethrower training you were talking about earlier? _Charmander asked, fidgeting with his claws.

_Sorry, _Ash grimaced. _Even if they have our general position, we don't want to make things easier for them. _

_ Oh, _Charmander looked down at the ground and his shoulder's slumped. _Okay. Sorry to bother you then._

_ But, _Ash said, quickly switching gears when he saw Charmander's dejected manner, _there is something you can try practicing. _

_ Really? _Charmander asked, perking up.

_Well, Flamethrower is a long-range attack, but you can do some work on the power and the heat aspects without being too visible, _Ash said. _For now, you can try mixing in the hot air with your flames. _

_ How… how do I do that? _Charmander asked.

_Oh, uh…. Ouch! _Ash tried to rub the back of his head, much to his back's displeasure. _Hate those bellsprouts so much….. let's see, what did Growlithe have to say about fire-type attacks again? Right, so I think you need to mix the air in the same place you make your fire. _

_ Like taking a deep breath? _Charmander asked. _I think I already do that when I use Ember. _

_ Not exactly, _Ash said. _You've got to mix it, not just use it to propel the flames. Hmmm…. What did Growlithe tell me…. she did say it was hard to do at first, but it gets easier once you learn it. _

_ Well what's the trick? _Charmander said. If they had been standing instead of walking, he would have been impatiently tapping his foot.

_What did she say….? I think it was that you need to hold part of your breath? Or at least while you're learning this trick? I'm not too clear on all the details _Ash's brow furrowed in concentration. _Let's try that now actually. Take a deep breath and let most of it out, but not all. Hold what's left. _

Charmander complied with the instructions, chest expanding with his inhale. He slowly let out the air and then stopped.

_It feels weird, _Charmander said in a choked voice.

_Yeah, it does, _Ash, who had decided to try the breath technique himself to see what it felt like, said before exhaling. _Okay, now I think you'll need to start making your flames now. Don't exhale though. _

Charmander nodded. Ash figured that he had probably started producing flames internally.

_Now, take in a deep breath and exhale quickly, _Ash commanded. Charmander complied. A shower of sparks fell from his mouth, alongside a puff of flame, and Ash could see the distortions in the air where the hot gases billowed out of the center of the scarlet blaze.

_I've never done that before! _Charmander exclaimed. _But I don't see what that has to do with Flamethrower…. _

_ Well, that can come much later, _Ash reassured the small fire-type. _But this is how you can add power to your attacks. And later you can learn how to shape the air and mix it with your flames better, and that's how you can do Flamethrower. _

_ Really? _Charmander didn't look entirely convinced, but he didn't look skeptical either.

_Really, _Ash nodded. _For now, why don't you work on a new fire attack?_

_ What sort of attack? _

_ A short ranged one, just focus on mixing the hot air in with your flames for now, _Ash explained. _Don't worry about range or temperature. This is just a flare-up._

_ What should we call it? _Charmander asked, eyes bright with excitement.

_I don't know yet, _Ash replied. _Let's see what it looks like when you're done with it first!_

Charmander began to practice the process of mixing in hot air with his flames as the sun reached its apex in the sky and then began its descent. Ash walked with him and watched as the attack started to solidify. Instead of the previous display, Charmander slowly released a plume of fire that bloomed with a billowing of hot gas.

It was slow and Ash couldn't think of a safe way to test its power but it was something new for Charmander. It was something that he had never been able to do before.

It was progress.

They decided to be done working on the move in the hours between noon and evening, when the shadows had grown, but the light of the sun had barely changed color, and everyone knows that the last hours of full sunlight are drawing to a close. Charmander was breathing hard by the time they were done and he smelt heavily of smoke.

_How did I do? _The fire-type asked. His voice was full of energy, but he wouldn't, or couldn't, meet Ash's eyes.

_It's gone great! _Ash answered. _I mean, it's nowhere near done, but you've come so far in a single day! I can't wait to be able to test it! _

_ Really? _Charmander finally looked up, eyes shining with excitement.

_Yes! It doesn't have any range, but it might have a lot of power! _Ash grinned. _Especially once we start working on temperature as well! I don't know much about physics, but we're dumping extra oxygen into your flames, and if I'm remembering what growlithe told me, it's after you've already made them, so they should be stronger than what you usually make!_

_ What if you're not right? _Charmander inquired.

_Then I don't know what will happen, _Ash answered with a shrug. _But hey! At least you're starting to learn an important skill…. I hope. _

_ Huh? _

_ Nothing, nothing, _Ash gently shook his head. _We'll just want to talk to another fire type to make sure that I didn't mess anything up. _

_ Sure, _Charmander shrugged. _What should we call it? _

_ Hmmm… can you show it to me one more time? _Ash asked. Charmander complied. He drew in a deep breath, exhaled part of it, and then inhaled again. Fire burned within him and Charmander let it out. A plume of flame burst from his mouth and then rapidly burst apart from its center into streams of fire, all surrounded by a rapidly moving heat haze. Ash thought it looked kind of like a flower growing up and then blooming out.

_Fire Bloom, _Ash said, snapping his fingers. _It looks like a flower, so we can call it Fire Bloom! _

_ Okay! _Charmander nodded.

_Now we just got to wait until we're at the pokémon center so we can test it out! _Ash exclaimed, rubbing his hands together with glee. _This is going to be so cool! _

_ Yeah! _Charmander said, bouncing up down with excitement. _I've learned a new fire attack! This is so awesome! _

_ Or maybe we'll get lucky and there'll be an even earlier opportunity to test this! _

_Yeah, like a wild pokémon attack, _Charmander nodded with eager anticipation.

_Well, I was thinking more like a river, but that works too, _Ash replied, still grinning. _Let's just hope we get lucky and have a chance to test this out soon!_

* * *

"Do you have a visual yet?" Dave asked Anne. The green haired woman was kneeling next to her ralts, once again using the pokémon's psychic abilities to view the enemy from a distance.

The sun was halfway over the horizon, the last golden-red rays filtering through the vibrant dying leaves. Long shadows lay everywhere within the forest, leaving Dave's team drenched in darkness as they sat, stood, and knelt around Anne and her ralts.

"Partial visual," Anne replied, her head engulfed the purple glow of her pokémon's power. "It looks like they're setting up camp now."

"Are all the enemy pokémon accounted for?"

Anne's brow furrowed in concentration for several seconds before she replied. "Yes. I have a visual on all the pervious unique combatants. I'm seeing the bulbasaur, the charmander, the pikachu, the butterfree, the pidgeotto, and I'm seeing a group of squirtles."

"No way to determine if all the squirtles are accounted for though," Dave muttered to himself. "But I don't think it will make much of a difference." He nodded and then continued. "Okay, this is what we'll do. We'll wait until they've started going to sleep, and then I want you to make a map. After that, we'll take up our positions, and tonight's work can begin."

* * *

Squirtle stared out into the forest night, bored out of his mind, and fighting off sleep.

He sighed.

The water-type knew why standing watch was so important, none of the pokémon in the group knew Sleep Talk, so someone needed to be awake to provide an initial response if they were attacked.

But just because Squirtle understood why he had to stand watch, that didn't mean he had to like the boring task of sitting around and looking at darkness.

About half of his squad were sitting with him during his watch; most of them were keeping themselves awake by bickering with each other and one or two of them seemed to have nodded off. Squirtle didn't know whether to wake them or just to envy them.

The worst part-

_Boss! _One of Squirtle's comrades spoke up, interrupting Squirtle's train of thought. _ I think I heard something. _

_ Where? _Squirtle was instantly alert, thoughts of sleep gone from his mind.

_There, _the other squirtle said, pointing out into the dark forest that surrounded them. _It was pretty quiet. It might have been nothing. _

_ Well, I'm going to go check it out in case it's not, _Squirtle said, standing up and walking in the direction the other squirtle had pointed. He wasn't expecting to find anything. None of the various nights and the watches he had stood had been very eventful. This one-

"Now!" A human voice could be heard in the forest, not shouting, but not bothering to hide itself either.

Squirtle ducked his head into his shell right away. Something, or multiple somethings, whistled through the air. Squirtle could feel sharp impacts all over the surface of his shell, and hear the sounds of something sharp and deadly pass through the space his head had been.

_We've got company! _Squirtle shouted as he popped his head back out. _Start blasting! _

Water Gun attacks lanced out into the darkness, the harsh rushing sound of high-velocity water filling the clearing.

Branches snapped and bark shattered as the attacks streamed out into the darkness but Squirtle didn't hear the sounds of any people or pokémon being hit.

_We're under attack! _Squirtle shouted to wake the rest of the group, _everyone up and at 'em! _

He could hear a commotion coming from behind him as his warning stirred the rest of the camp into action.

And then he was forced to shut his eyes as fire flared to his side, a lance of flame spearing into the camp and setting one of the three tents ablaze.

Squirtle blasted a Bubblebeam at the source of the fire, but the damage had already been done. His night vision had been ruined and he couldn't tell what effect his attack had.

Orange light flared once more, from the other side of the camp. Another tent had been set ablaze. The members of the Squirtle Squad who hadn't been on watch were trying to douse the flames, jets of water arcing through the night.

"Everyone stop!" Squirtle heard Ash shout. "Get down! Now!"

To Squirtle's surprise the jets of water ceased and Squirtle was able to see other members of the Squirtle Squad diving to the ground at Ash's command. Silvery needles whistled in the space their heads had been moments before, followed by the whirring whooshing sound of a cubone's club being thrown.

Squirtle turned his attention back to his part of the fight. _Bubbles and Bubblebeam everyone! Let's flush them away!_

At his command squirtles launched Bubble and Bubblebeam attacks, streams of ovaloid bubbles blasting into the trees. Squirtle and his squad kept up the attack, watery-projectiles constantly exploding within the darkness. Branches snapped, bark shattered, bushes were torn apart, and the trunks themselves began to groan under the sustained attacks.

Squirtle could hear the sounds of fighting behind him; the sounds of pokémon grunting, yelling; the sounds of attacks being launched, and the sounds of incoming attacks. Humans were shouting as well, but Squirtle couldn't spare any attention to figure out what they were saying.

More needles pierced the night, interrupting the Bubblebeam and Bubble assault as the squirtles flinched, the Poison Sting attack rattling off their shells and stabbing into their faces. Squirtle ducked into his shell while the needles flew around him, rolling to the side and then popping back up.

Something was moving in the tree canopies, illuminated by the burning tents. Squirtle could make out winged forms moving closer. He blasted away at forms with Water Gun attacks, but they dodged.

And then they were on the Squad, opening their mouths and letting loose supersonic waves. Squirtles clutched at the sides of their heads as they endured the attack. Squirtle turned his attention away from the attacking zubats and back towards the dark forest where the needles had originated. Once again, he fired forth a Bubblebeam, hoping to suppress the Poison Sting attacks.

_We can't keep doing this! _One of the other squirtles with Squirtle shouted before launching a Bubblebeam attack of her own. _They're taking us apart! _She continued between attacks.

_I know!_ Squirtle responded between attacks of his own. _Drive off those zubats! And then we'll go on the offensive! _

A barrage of bursting bubbles blasted the zubats, sending them tumbling through the air and away from the other members of the Squirtle Squad. The two unaffected squirtles rushed over to help their confused comrades.

_How bad is it? _Squirtle asked while his unaffected comrade covered them with Bubblebeams.

_I can fight, I think, _the squirtle answered, forepaw on his head as he picked himself up off the ground. _But don't ask me any hard questions, alright? _

_ Sure, _Squirtle nodded and grinned, _we didn't keep you around for your brains anyway._

He checked on the other two squirtles that had been hit by the Supersonic attack, finding they were in a similar condition. Two of water-types had needles sticking out of their faces, but not in sufficient quantities to poison them.

_Squirtle Squad to me! _Squirtle shouted, making himself heard over the din of battle. _Let's show these assholes what we're made of! _

He heard shouts and cheers from behind him, and the sounds of running paws. His squad rallied around him. Squirtle re-adjusted his sunglasses and then pointed out at the forest.

_Squirtle Squad, char-_

"Stop!" Ash's shout cut through the night. Squirtle turned to face the human, snarl in his throat, glare forming on his face, but the boy continued to shout. "Get back here! They're trying to split us up! They'll get us easy that way!"

Squirtle's snarl died before it could get passed his mouth.

In that moment, the water type realized that Ash had been correct. If they charged off now, then all the fighters with the village would be separated and Team Rocket could overwhelm them.

Something painful, hot, and squirming shot through Squirtle. It took the pokémon a moment to recognize it as shame. He had nearly gotten his squad killed and the rest of the village would have joined them soon after.

"Everyone stay together!" Ash kept shouting. "Group up!"

The Squirtle Squad didn't react at first. But then Squirtle spoke up.

_ Let's do as he says, _the water-type said, head bowed. _Regroup in the center of the camp. _

And then the Squirtle Squad followed the boy's command.

* * *

"Doesn't look like they took the bait," Toji said, lowering his night vision goggles. "We can keep trying this for a little while longer. Maybe they'll eventually take it?"

"I don't think so," Dave replied, lowering his own goggles.

The two of them were laying down, propped on tree roots, watching the fight. A bug type pokémon with a red and black body and yellow and purple legs, an ariados, stood next to them. Fallen branches littered the ground around them and the trees had small craters from the various bubble attacks.

"The trainer managed to pull the squirtles back," Dave continued. "In all likelihood he knows what we're up to."

"Then we're going with plan B?" Toji inquired.

"Looks like," Dave nodded, grabbing a pokéball and a small radio from his belt. "Everyone, we're moving on to the other plan. Release all of your pokémon behind the screens and then begin the assault. Remember your targets."

Various calls of affirmation came back over the radio as Dave clipped it back to his belt. He turned around to find Toji rapidly unfolding and setting up a structure of black fabric. It was what the grunts referred to as a battle-blind, meant to obscure the flash of light that accompanied a pokémon when it was let out of its pokéball.

"Go Girafarig! Go Pointers!" White light blazed behind the shrouding structure as Dave called forth his pokémon. Girafarig and a nidorino appeared, joining the ariados.

"Go Biters! Go Bristles!" Toji called out, throwing two pokéballs of his own. A dog like pokémon with jet black fur on its back and feet and silver-grey fur everywhere else, a mightyena, stood before them. Next to it stood a smaller pokémon, with grey black fur on its face and feet and silver-grey fur everywhere else, a poochyena.

"Remember your target?" Dave asked.

"Yes dad," Toji rolled his eyes. "We've got the butterfree."

"And don't forget to eat your vegetables," Dave replied with a shit-eating grin.

"I hate you sometimes," Toji shook his head and sighed.

He and his pokémon were then off to kill a child and his pokémon.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading.

I'd also like thank everyone who left a review/comment.

I hope everyone's staying safe.

Don't forget to review!


	28. Chapter 28

"Squirtle Squad, just use Bubble if you can!" Ash shouted as the water-types began blasting into the forest.

The group from the village was no longer in chaos and instead had formed a circle in the middle of the camp. Aoba and Melaine sat in the center, quickly tending to pokémon that had been hit by Poison Sting attacks. Ash was on the inner edge of the circle of pokémon, moving around and giving orders.

"Butterfree," Ash said, turning to look at the fluttering bug-type. "Can you sense anything?"

_I can sense a lot Ash, _Butterfree replied, head down as he concentrated. _But I can't make sense of it. _

"Pidgeotto, can you see anything?" Ash asked, looking up where Pidgeotto was flying tight circles over the group.

_No, _she called back. _My eyes aren't meant to work at night and those fires are making it worse. _

Ash grimaced. He had managed to save everything from his tent except his sleeping bag and the tent itself. Melanie and Aoba had done the same with the gear in their tents. After they had regrouped, some of the squirtles had put out the blazes, while the others covered them, but the entire group's night vision was gone.

"Okay," Ash said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. They needed a plan-

_Get down! _Pikachu barreled into the back of Ash's legs, knocking the human forward. Ash's eyes shot open and were met with brilliant orange light illuminating the ground before him. Falling forward, Ash felt a wave of heat wash over his back.

_They're attacking! _Pidgeotto shouted as more long-range attacks came in. More needles, lances of flame, a spinning bone club, and a pressurized stream of water shot into the camp, scattering and blasting pokémon.

On the heels of the attack came the enemy pokémon. Ash thought he saw the cubone, the machop, the nidorino, the zubats, and the slugma from the earlier attack, but this time they brought friends. Ash could see poochyena and its evolved form loping out of the trees followed by several other pokémon. And, as Ash scrambled back to his feet, he could also see human figures in the trees, hear them shouting orders, and could watch them direct their pokémon.

Fire-types let loose blasts of flame, drenching the camp in harsh orange light. Zubats unleashed Supersonic attacks filling the forest with an unbearable high-pitched ringing. Psychic energies covered objects and pokémon alike. And pokémon from Team Rocket slammed into the pokémon from the village.

Those pokémon scattered before the assault, fleeing or fighting alone, leaving Ash's pokémon, the Squirtle Squad, Bulbasaur, and Charmander to resist the onslaught.

"Stay- " Ash was almost able to shout a warning to stay together, but he saw a glint of silver out of the corner of his eye. He had spent enough time around Poison Lance to recognize a Poison Sting attack instantly. Ash dove back to the ground, back screaming a silent song of agony as he moved, and the attack sailed over him.

_Die! _Pikachu screamed. Yellow power flared and buzzed, a roiling torrent of electricity, flowing, rushing, blasting out of the yellow pokémon. Pikachu's attack lanced out into the forest, incinerating leaves and branches, spearing the ariados who had assaulted Ash. Electric power engulfed the bug-type and the blast hurled it into the trees.

But even as the ariados was taken out more pokémon from Team Rocket were on the move.

So many events happened at the same time that Ash couldn't even process what had happened until it was too late to do anything about it.

Pikachu let out a grunt of pain as he was tackled by the cubone, electricity flaring harmlessly into the ground type. The cubone ran through the clearing, Pikachu struggling in its grasp, carrying the pokémon out into the forest, the slugma following.

Fire shone and Bulbasaur was forced to jump out of the way, only to be grabbed by vines reaching out of the forest. Bulbasaur struggled against them, his own vines reaching out to wrestle with the foreign vines and to anchor himself to the clearing. But the machop intercepted the anchoring vines and Bulbasaur was pulled into the forest. The fighting-type ran off after him.

_Bulbasaur! _Ash heard Oddish cry out before a stray Psybeam knocked her out.

Simultaneously, fire was also blazing in the air, forcing Butterfree to drop to avoid a stream of small fireballs passing overhead. The action put him in range of the snapping jaws of the poochyena and mightyena. Butterfree fluttered away, trying to stay under the flames and away from the teeth, and let himself be driven out of the clearing.

At the same time, more vines whipped out of the forest, lashing out at the leader of the Squirtle Squad. Squirtle jumped backwards to avoid the green tendrils, but his leap carried him into the path of some zubats. They swooped down, grabbed Squirtle, and then carried him off in the direction of the vines, wings flapping furiously as Squirtle struggled against their hold.

Meanwhile, Charmander opened his mouth to unleash an Ember, but Poliwag ducked between the two weepinbells from the village and Headbutted Charmander. The water-type tackled the fire-type out of the clearing.

_No! _Ash cried out, picking himself up off the ground. He spun around in circles, trying to figure out what exactly had happened, trying to see where Melanie and Aoba where, trying to come up with a plan, any plan-

_You're next! _Ash heard a pokémon shout and then he saw a magby rushing at him, a blazing ball of flame forming in his mouth. Ash tried to dodge, but a flare of pain from his back left him paralyzed and the flames grew closer-

A miniature cyclone interposed itself between Ash and the flames. The magby's attack was sucked up into the Gust attack, forming a fiery tornado. Ash shielded his eyes from the new brilliant, shifting, orange light as fire crackled and wind howled.

With a shriek, Pidgeotto plunged out of the night sky, talons tearing at the magby's face as the blazing cyclone faded. The fire-type tried to defend, but Pidgeotto was too fast, too vicious. Her talons sought flesh and drew blood.

The fire-type stumbled back, blood dripping from its face, while Pidgeotto flapped her wings. Another Gust attack, larger than the first, knocked the magby off its feet and carried it away.

_Ash, are you okay? _Pidgeotto asked, looking over her extended wings.

_Yeah, _Ash answered as he slowly straightened out. His back was still screaming, but he could move again.

_What's the plan? _The flying-type asked.

Ash looked over the battle, forcing himself to think.

Team Rocket had managed to bulrush them, and separate most of their best fighters from the rest of the group. Now all that the village had left was Pidgeotto, a disorganized mess of pokémon, and the leaderless Squirtle Squad.

The Squirtle Squad was currently being harassed by what Ash assumed were hidden bellsprouts as well as zubats and a beedrill. A girafarig was charging about the battlefield, driving off the more skittish pokémon from the village and blasting Psybeams at the ones that tried to put up a fight. And Ash thought he saw a pokémon that might have been a ralts using its power on any pokémon that seemed to be making headway against the pokémon from Team Rocket.

Ash couldn't see Aoba or Melanie anywhere. He hoped they had managed to escape from the battle unharmed. But he didn't have time to search for them, not while the pokémon from the village and the Squirtle Squad needed his help.

_Pidgeotto, _Ash drew in a breath, closing his eyes. _First, we're going to need to stop that girafarig and that ralts. You think you can use Sand-Tornado in a real battle? _

_Let's find out, _Pidgeotto chirped.

_Hit the ralts with it and then you're going to need to get that girafarig. I'll try to rally the pokémon while you're doing that. _Ash's eyes opened; they were hard, steely, glinting with determination in the firelight. _Let's do this!_

* * *

Pikachu squirmed and kicked, managing to slip out of the cubone's grasp.

Immediately he had to dodge a blast of fire from the slugma behind the cubone, cutting it so close that individual hairs were singed. He landed on all fours, cheeks sparking, ready to electrocute the slugma, but the cubone was bearing down on him again.

Cubone struck downwards and Pikachu rolled to the side. The cubone's club slammed into the ground, blasting up a cloud of dust, which Pikachu dove into.

A stream of small fireballs shot through the dust cloud, forcing Pikachu to keep his head down. Pikachu began to growl. His ears twitched as he heard movement from where the cubone had been.

Pikachu darted forward and to the side. Just as he did so, the dust cloud was split in two by another mighty downward strike from the cubone, brown wisps curling up around the club and shooting skywards.

Pikachu continued dashing forward, and then spun around, ready to launch a Quick Attack at the cubone. Once again, the slugma hurled a blast of fire at him, forcing Pikachu to dart around the attack. By the time Pikachu was back on course the cubone was ready for him.

Pikachu growled and darted back away from the cubone's flurry of blows. Right into the path of yet another fire blast from the slugma!

Pikachu screamed in frustration, blasting straight through the Incinerate attack with a powerful Thunderbolt, the buzzing yellow spear dispersing the crackling ball of flame. Pikachu's attack continued towards the slugma, only to be intercepted by the cubone. The ground-type had interposed itself between Pikachu and the slugma, not even reacting as the electricity blasted into it.

Once again Pikachu growled, hackles raised, teeth bared in a challenge, sparks flying from his cheeks. Primal instincts thundered within him, the wild beat of the flight or fight instinct after choosing 'fight'.

And here, alone in the nighttime forest, facing down two foes, Pikachu felt wilder than he had in a long time.

But he was also a creature who had spent so much time among humans, with humans. And Pikachu was able to remember that his real goal wasn't to defeat the cubone and slugma, but to make his way back to Ash.

The electric type sprinted away from his foes, running full tilt for the clearing. Cubone saw this and hurled his club in an arc that cut in front of Pikachu before speeding back at the electric type's face. Pikachu hopped over the spinning projectile, feeling the wind from his passage ruffle the fur on his underside.

Pain blossomed all over Pikachu's back, dry heat washing all over him, the smell of smoke filling the air, and another burst of orange light illuminating the forest. Pikachu screamed as he was sent tumbling through the air. The slugma had hit him with a fire attack while Pikachu was dodging the cubone's club.

Pikachu tumbled to the ground, rolled a short distance, and then came to a halt. Wincing, the electric type managed to get back to his feet.

Cubone was already almost on him, club raised for a finishing blow. Pikachu rolled to the side, dodging yet another powerful blow. Orange light signaled another fire attack so Pikachu jumped straight up, narrowly dodging the slugma's attack.

Pikachu landed on a tree branch, chest expanding and contracting rapidly to fill Pikachu's body's demand for oxygen. Cubone stood at the base of the tree, club raised, ready to resume fighting. The slugma took up a position behind it.

Pikachu's eyes narrowed. He couldn't last in the situation he found himself in. He would need to escape or beat them soon. Ash probably needed him!

It was too bad that his enemies wouldn't make things easy…

* * *

Butterfree fluttered to the side as a pair of snapping jaws passed him by. He had been dragged into the forest by the pair of dark types, barely managing to wiggle free from their jaws without damaging his delicate wings. Now he was being hounded and harassed by the poocheyna and the mightyena.

"Biters!" A human voice called out from the trees, hidden by the shroud of night, "Shadow Ball! Bristles, follow that up!"

Butterfree didn't need Ash to tell him to dodge. The bug type fluttered upwards, hoping to escape from the battle all together, but that took him right into the path of the ghost type attack that was nearly invisible in the dark.

It knocked Butterfree out of the air, leaving an awful chill that wasn't quite physical to soak into the point of impact, and sent him right into the path of the poocheyna.

Dark energy surrounded the pokémon's fangs as it zeroed in on the spot where the Shadow Ball had struck Butterfree. Sharp teeth dug into Butterfree's back, the poocheyna using the move Assurance to deal extra damage to Butterfree.

Butterfree let out a shriek of pain as the poocheyna ravaged his back. On instinct his wings flapped backwards, blasting Sleep Powder all over the poocheyna. Like a limp, wet, noodle the dark-type pokémon slid off of Butterfree's back.

Butterfree struggled upwards, each flap of his wings bringing a burning pain in his muscles.

"Again!" the human trainer shouted. Buttefree fluttered to the side as the chilling ghostly energies brushed over his exoskeleton. A tingling numbness lingered in the spots the attack had touched.

Buttefree managed to flutter into a tree, alighting on a branch. Another Shadow Ball blasted towards him, shattering a large branch in front of Buttefree free. He squeaked in pain as he was pelted by splinters.

Wounded, Butterfree crawled further into the shelter of the tree while the hound bayed below.

* * *

Vines grappled in the darkness between the trees as Bulbasaur wrestled with a pair of bellsprouts. Like snakes seizing, vines shook, snapped, pulled and pushed. Bulbasaur dug in his feet and roared, pulling with all his might, trying to yank the opposing grass types out of the trees.

"Now Machop!" A female human voice cried out. There was the sound of running feet and Bulbasaur turned to it just in time to see a grey fist rocketing towards his face!

And then Bulbasaur saw stars and felt the wind beneath his feet.

He soared through the air like a pigeon that had been hit by a semitruck, and then snapped to a halt as the bellsprouts pulled him back. His vines stretched and then Bulbasaur was slung back the way he had come, right back into the waiting fists of the machop.

_Ain't happening! _Bulbasaur exclaimed. Razor-sharp leaves whizzed through the night and Machop was forced to cover his face, the deadly greenery slicing cuts on his cheeks, forearms, and hands.

Bulbasaur used the opportunity to grit his teeth, lower his head, and pull himself forward. He hurtled towards the machop and then bowled the fighting type over with a Tackle attack. Machop rolled back and then sprang to his to feet, little worse for the wear.

_Of course, _Bulbasaur groaned. _Fighting types know how to take a hit. _

"Now!" the female human voice sounded out again. The two bellsprouts pulled upward in unison, yanking Bulbasaur off of his feet and into the air. And then the bellsprouts yanked him towards them, over the machop's head.

Bulbasaur inhaled as much air as he could and then held his breath as he was pulled closer to the enemy grass types. He could guess where this was headed.

He felt a sprinkling of powdery substances play over his skin, either a Poison Powder, a Sleep Powder, a Stun Spore, or some combination. The grass type from the village kept his head down as he soared through the cloud of debilitating or deadly powder, trying not to get any of it in his nose, mouth, or eyes.

With a loud thud, Bulbasaur impacted into a tree, bulb-first and upside down. It nearly knocked the air out of him and Bulbasuar barely managed to stop himself from breathing. He felt himself get pulled against the tree, pinned by the vines of the bellsprouts.

That was fine with Bulbasaur.

Two leaves shot out from beneath his bulb, curling around the sides of the tree. There was the slick, juicy, sound of living greenery being cut, a loud twang, and then a cry of pain from one of the bellsprouts. One of the vines holding Bulbasaur went limp, allowing him to use the other one to haul himself to the side.

He was just in time too. Chips of bark exploded into the air as Machop came in with a flying Mega Kick. Bulbasaur managed to land and turn around in time to see the tree he had been involuntarily acquainted snap in half, the top part falling slowly, leaves rustling and branches snapping.

Bulbasaur took in the sight and then drew a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and narrowed his eyes.

He had a fight to win.

* * *

Once again, Squirtle found himself fending off whipping vines.

The leader of the Squirtle Squad had managed to squirm out of the hold of the two zubats that had carried him off. But before he could rush back to rejoin his squad, he had been assailed by Vine Whip attacks.

Squirtle thought that the hidden bellsprouts and their vines had been bad during the day. Compared to at night they had been downright pleasant. At least during the day, Squirtle could see the attacks coming.

He ducked and dodged, trying to keep his face and eyes safe from the terrible tendrils. He saw movement in front of him and threw up his foreleg to protect his face. The blow lashed open the skin on his forearm, blood dripping from the wound.

The water type forced himself to roll forward, withdrawing into his shell as he did so. Vines beat against his hard exterior, jostling him, and the chemicals secreted by the vines making his shell burn in pain.

But Squirtle was able to persevere through the pain, rolling so that his head was facing the opposite direction from where he had come. Squirtle unleashed a Water Gun attack, blasting himself into the air.

Leaves brushed over his shell and small branches broke before him; then there was nothing but the chill autumn night air as Squirtle broke through the tree canopies and into the open air beyond. For just a moment, a single moment, the water-type let himself relax, secure in the knowledge that he had managed to escape.

Only for a horrible ringing to echo through the night. The awful sound reverberated throughout his shell, upsetting his stomach, and scrambling his brain. Squirtle lost control of his trajectory. He spiraled through the air, unable to tell up from down, breaking through the canopy he had just escaped from, and crashed into the ground.

Squirtle slowly got out of his shell, pushing himself up with one foreleg, his other forepaw massaging his head. He still felt like the world was spinning, like there was a toxic fog in his head, like he would vomit.

He got to his feet, looking around the dark forest for his enemies. He didn't see them, but Squirtle could hear them.

More excruciating ringing sounds, Supersonic attacks, came from the darkness. It drove Squirtle to his forepaws and knees, unable to stand, unable to focus, unable to think, under the sonic barrage.

While he was incapacitated, the vines returned. They whipped sideways through the forest, catching Squirtle on the front of his shell. The impact sent him tumbling backwards, his journey throwing up dead leaves from the forest floor.

Squirtle tried to pick himself back up, only to be brought back down by yet another Supersonic attack. Vines whipped at him, driving him even further into the ground.

Squirtle couldn't do anything but withdraw into his shell as they beat on him.

* * *

Charmander let out a squeak of pain as the poliwag's charge slammed him into a tree. The pokémon from Team Rocket then stepped back, letting Charmander slide to the ground.

_You know everyone else either has their trainer with them, or has a zubat relaying orders, _the poliwag said conversationally, letting Charmander pick himself up. _I'm not sure if my trainer just trusts me enough to handle you by myself or if they just think this job is beneath their attention. _

Charmander got up, trembling the whole time. His eyes were wide. Fear sang its songs of flight and freezing throughout his body.

And yet, Charmander took a step forward and tried to hit Poliwag with a Scratch attack.

_I guess it might be a little of both, _the water-type said, avoiding the attack by leaning back. _No offense to you, you're not exactly bad; after all I'm still supposed to capture you so that you can be given to one of our trainers. It's just that you're sort of weak. _

Charmander flinched, the movements visible in the night thanks to the illumination from his tail. The poliwag took the opportunity to Headbutt Charmander back into the tree.

_Well, you're young, so it's to be expected, _Poliwag continued as Charmander fell back to the ground.

Charmander couldn't make himself breathe. Things weren't working right. His body was trembling. He hurt, front and back. Tears stained the corners of his eyes. His vision was going dark around the edges.

And yet, Charmander stood back up.

Poliwag knocked him back down.

_Come on, just stay down, _the water type said. _The fight's over. By now I'm sure that the targets have been eliminated and the round-up has started. _

Charmander thought of Melaine's gentle hands. Of Ash's kind words. Of the sensation of vines around his own throat during the last attack.

Charmander stood back up.

Poliwag knocked him back down.

_Look, if you keep this up, you're really going to get hurt, _Poliwag admonished the fire type at his feet. _You're not strong enough to win. _

Charmander remembered Damien screaming at him for being weak. He remembered the nights where he had cried about his weakness from the safety of his pokéball. He remembered the day that Damien had told him to wait by the side of the road.

Charmander stood back up.

Poliwag knocked him back down.

_Don't make me use Water Gun, _Poliwag warned. _I could __accidentally __put out your tail flame and then you'd really be in danger. _

Charmander's mind flashed back to the night that Damien had left; to the rain he couldn't escape, to the chill that pervaded his body, to the numb pain that had settled into his muscles and bones, and to how tempting the call of oblivion had been in that moment.

Charmander stood back up.

Poliwag knocked him back down.

_This is your last warning, _Poliwag's voice was grim and her eyes were drawn into a glare. _If you get back up again, I'll make sure that it's the last time you do. _

Charmander's thoughts flashed to Bulbasaur and Squirtle fighting together in the cave. To the moment before Ash and his friends had arrived, when they had been surrounded and outnumbered by their attackers, when Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and the Squirtle Squad had decided to go down fighting. He remembered the other attack when Ash had returned with a bloodied back, a painful sacrifice to protect squirtle.

Charmander stood back up.

He no longer trembled.

He hurt, but he paid it no mind.

Teardrops stained his cheeks, but his eyes were clear and steady.

_If that's the way you want this to go down, fine! _Poliwag growled before she drew herself back and fired off a pressurized blast of water.

Charmander slashed at it with his claws, trying to disrupt the stream, but it was too strong, and Charmander's arms were blasted into his chest, his own claws drawing pinpricks of blood from him. His heels dug away at the carpet of dead leaves covering the forest floor as he was pushed back, the chill of the water rapidly settling into his flesh. Once more Charmander was slammed into the tree, this time hard enough to shake the branches, causing dying leaves to shower down around him and Poliwag.

Poliwag's attack ceased, and Charmander felt himself tipping forward.

_No! _Charmander roared, planting one foot firmly forward. He wouldn't be knocked down again by this poliwag!

_Take a hint and stay down! _Poliwag screamed at him, rearing back to unleash another Water Gun attack, but Charmander was already acting.

Charmander took in a deep breath. He exhaled, letting some of it escape. He started producing his fire inside of himself. Finally, he took in another deep breath and charged towards Poliwag!

Poliwag spat forth another burst of water as Charmander used Fire Bloom. The lance of water met the bloom of flame in a hissing explosion of steam. Hot water engulfed him as Charmander continued his charge. His flames were dampened, but he didn't stop.

He exploded out of the steam cloud right in front of a shocked Poliwag, claws extended. Charmander began to scratch and slash, claw and cut, drawing bloody lines on the water type. Poliwag tried to jump back, only for Charmander to grab it, latching his claws into Poliwag's back.

_My turn! _Charmander growled, picking up the Poliwag and running. Poliwag squirmed and kicked, but had no leverage. It tried to blast the fire-type with another Water Gun attack, but had no angle.

This time it was Charmander slamming Poliwag into a tree hard enough to shake off the dying leaves. And while Poliwag was stunned in his grasp, Charmander reared back.

Charmander took in a deep breath. He exhaled part of it. He produced fire inside of himself. He took in another deep breath.

And he engulfed Poliwag's face in another Fire Bloom attack.

The water-type screamed as the flames burned her face, as the super-heated air slammed into her, as she was driven further into the tree. Charmander exhaled as long as he could, drenching the water-type in flames.

When he subsided, Poliwag's blackened face stared back at him for a second. Then the limp water type slid down the tree and fell to the forest floor, barely breathing.

Charmander stood there for a moment, the heady sensation of victory roaring through him like fiery lightning, like a raging tsunami, like a volcanic eruption. He looked down at his bloodstained claws, he inhaled and tasted the scent of smoke from his attack, and then he looked down at the enemy at his feet.

The sounds of battle reached his ears, coming from elsewhere in the forest. Charmander turned away from Poliwag, and dashed off towards the noise, head held high and his fangs bared.

* * *

AN: Once again I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment/review.

Not going to lie, writing so many fight scenes was draining.

I hope everyone is staying safe.

Don't forget to leave a review/comment!


	29. Chapter 29

A final whip crack from the vines and Squirtle lay sprawled on the forest floor. The zubats fluttered overhead, but their Supersonic attacks weren't needed. Squirtle went through the motions of trying to stand, but he had no fight left in him.

He only had the burning welts all over his body, the overwhelming nausea within him, and the knowledge that he was alone in his fight.

The water-type couldn't even bring himself to withdraw back into his shell. Squirtle simply had no energy left. His angular sunglasses lay beside his head as he stared up at the night sky, barely able to see the stars through his pain.

Squirtle didn't want to abandon his squad to the mercy of Team Rocket, but it looked like he had no choice. He was just glad that he had managed to accomplish all that he had done before his end. He just wished that he could have a cooler end than getting beaten to death alone in the forest at night.

Four vines crossed his field of vision, not whipping at him, but reaching down. They circled around the unresisting water type's neck, constricting, and lifting him into the air. Squirtle feebly attempted to pry them off, but it was no use.

They tightened, vices around Squirtle's throat, and then he couldn't breathe.

The light of the moon and the stars faded from Squirtle's vision. The trees, barely distinct when the night had begun, began to blur together into one great big grey mess. Soon almost everything was gone.

Everything, that was, except for a strange orange dot.

There were noises that Squirtle couldn't make out. Things were happening that Squirtle couldn't understand. Squirtle felt like he was swimming through molasses. Everything was a thick darkness where he couldn't see, hear, or even move.

Until the shock of hitting the ground jolted him out of it.

Squirtle rubbed his throat and then looked up. The four vines remained above him, but now they were writhing and lashing about in agony. Flames licked up and down their length giving Squirtle some light to see by.

Charmander stood in front of him, standing between Squirtle and the vines. The little fire type was standing up straighter than Squirtle had ever seen him. His claws were out and his teeth were bared. His tail flame burned bright.

One of the zubats dived at him, using Supersonic as it did so. Charmander countered with an Ember attack, casting a stream of small flames up into the night. The zubat squeaked in pain as it was pelted with small flames.

At the same time, the other zubat swooped in, hitting Charmander in back with another Supersonic attack, bringing the fire type to his knees

_I've had- _Squirtle pushed himself to his feet- _just about enough of you! _He accompanied his exclamation with a Water Gun attack, blasting the zubat out of the sky.

_Thank you! _Charmander exclaimed, picking himself back up and rubbing his temple.

The flaming vines were covered in a red glow and then they vanished, recalled by their trainer. The remaining zubat swooped low to recover its downed comrade and then took off.

_Ugh, I feel like I'm going to throw up now, _Charmander groaned._ Is that what Supersonic always feels like? _

_ When it succeeds, yeah,_ Squrtile replied, helping Charmander up. _And thanks, yourself. I figured I was a goner there. _

_You're welcome, _Charmander squeaked, looking down at the ground, his tail flame illuminating his blush.

A wave of dizziness overtook Squirtle and he had to lean on Charmander for support. The water type closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths.

_Are you alright? _Charmander asked, concerned.

_No, _Squirtle answered. _But we don't have time for me to not be alright. Come on, we've got to go help the others. _

_ Right, _Charmander nodded.

And then there were two.

* * *

Bulbasaur strained against the vines interwoven within his own, sweat dripping from his face as he pushed and pulled. Machop, breathing hard, covered in dirt and bruises from the battle, walked towards the grass-type, eyes locked with Bulbasaur's own.

Bulbasaur fired off some more Razor Leaves, forcing the fighting type to doge. But in that moment, while Bulbasaur's attention was focused on the leaves instead of the vines, the trainer made her move.

"Now!" The Rocket trainer shouted and the bellsprout reacted.

The grass type released its grip on Bulbasaur's vines and went for his throat, managing to wrap around the other grass type's neck several times before Bulbasaur could respond. Bulbasaur tugged at the strangling vines, gasping for breath. While the grass-type was occupied, the machop charged forward, fist raised.

Bulbasaur managed to take the blow on his shoulder, letting the impact roll him away from the machop until the vines around his neck came up short. He grit his teeth and fired off another brace of Razor Leaves, the sharp greenery curving through the air, coming at the vines entangled around his neck.

"Dodge!" The trainer shouted.

The bellsprout obeyed instantly, their vines waving and swaying around the leaves. And Machop was back on Bulbasaur as well. It began to hammer away at Bulbasaur's face like it was a judge calling an unruly courtroom to order. Bulbasaur could barely keep fighting against the strangulation as the attacks continued.

In the end he had to release his grip with one of his vines and use it to catch one of the machop's fists. Machop's teeth ground together as it struggled against Bulbasaur's hold. When it couldn't free its limb quickly, it returned to punching Bulbasaur in the face with its other hand.

Bulbasaur's vision was slowly going grey from a lack of oxygen and his head was a mass of throbbing pain, punctuated by blows from the fighting type. The grass-type from the village pushed through the pain, forcing himself to focus on his opponents.

He fired off several Leach Seeds, but the machop batted them out of the air. He tried firing off more Razor Leaf attacks, using his grip on the Rocket pokémon to try and hold it in place, but the Machop was able to lean and duck out of the way of the barrage-

Water rushed and the fighting type found itself flying to the side as its head was engulfed by a pressurized torrent of frothy water. It was sent cartwheeling through the dark forest.

In the same moment, a stream of small flames lit up the night. Plants sizzled and burned and the bellsprout hastily withdrew its vines from around Bulbasaur's throat. Bulbasaur scrambled to his feet, his own vines extended and prepared to lash out. He looked around and saw Squirtle and Charmander racing to his side.

_Thanks, _Bulbasaur said to the two, his voice hoarse after the abuse his throat had received. _But don't think they're out yet. Get ready for round two!_

_ Bring it on! _Squirtle shouted in challenge.

_Yeah! _Charmander squeaked in agreement.

"Bellsprout, support," the Rocket trainer called out. "Machop, Mega-Kick the charmander!"

Vines lashed out from the treetops, whipping at Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander's eyes. Bulbasaur countered with his own vines, once more entangling tendrils, stopping the attacks.

Simultaneously, Machop came barreling out of the forest. Charmander flinched at its sudden appearance, leaving him open to the flying Mega-Kick.

But Squirtle had anticipated Machop's trajectory and another powerful Water Gun attack caught the fighting type in midair. Drops of water rained down around them as Machop's kick met Squirtle's water in a liquid explosion. Machop cleaved through the attack, but the current had pushed him off course enough so that his kick missed Charmander. It landed just behind the pokémon from the village.

"Machop," the trainer from Team Rocket called out, still hidden somewhere in the forest, "use Protect!"

_Charmander, now! _Squirtle shouted at the same time.

Charmander spun around, breathed in, partially exhaled, stoked his inner fires, and then inhaled again. But, by the time he had finished the sequence, the Rocket pokémon had already conjured up a translucent green shell around itself. Charmander's Fire Bloom washed harmlessly over the shield.

_My turn again! _Squirtle shouted, cheeks puffing up as he prepared his attack. Machop's shield dropped and Squirtle fired off a Bubblebeam attack. The Team Rocket fighting type countered with a barrage of punches. Bubbles exploded, sounding like small fireworks, popped by the rapid fire pistoning of Machop's fists.

"Bellsprout, focus on that Squirtle!" The enemy trainer commanded. "Machop, continue after that Charmander!"

Bellsprout tried to extract its vines from Bulbasaur's grip, but the other grass-type wasn't having it. With a dark smile, Bulbasaur tightened his own grip and yanked! He pulled Bellsprout's vines towards himself and then further, towards Charmander.

_Got a light? _Bulbasaur asked, presenting the struggling enemy vines to the fire type.

_I mean, we could use my tail, _Charmander replied, glancing back at his extremity.

_Just light it on fire, _Bulbasaur sighed.

_Oh. Okay, _Charmander said, before firing off another Ember attack. Plants sizzled in the night and the bellsprout shrieked in pain. Its struggles grew more frantic, managing to extract itself from Bulbasaur's grip.

_That's one down, _Bulbasaur growled, turning around to look at Machop. The fighting type was still locked in combat with Squirtle, fists fending off bubbles.

Bulbasaur fired off one slow Razor Leaf upwards, letting it drift for a quiet instant. A vine lashed out, whipping the leaf with a tremendous **crack**! The leaf blasted forward and drilled through the Rocket pokémon with a spray of blood.

Mouth open and gasping, Machop fell back, hands clutching at the hole in its chest. A beam of red light lashed out of the trees and the fighting type was recalled.

A second beam of red light appeared and then the vines from the bellsprout disappeared. The pokémon from the village could hear the sounds of a human running through the forest, the noise moving away from them.

_Do we go after her? _Charmander asked hesitantly.

_No, _Bulbasaur shook his head. _We've got important things to worry about. First, is anyone wounded? Speak up now. _

_ I've been beaten halfway to Girgantia's Gullet and back, but I can still fight, _Squirtle responded.

_Are you sure? _Bulbasaur asked, eying Squirtle. _It ain't worth it to act tough now and then go down when we really need you later. _

_ There's too many of them for me to stay out of this, _Squirtle shot back. _Let's just go help the others. _

_ Fine, _Bulbasaur grumbled. _But you're going to need to fill me in on what happened with you two as we go. We're going to need to tell Ash what we're up against now._

* * *

Butterfree fell from the tree like one of the many autumn leaves. He landed among the scattered branches and shattered bark that was the result of the Rocket pokémon's assault.

Biters, the mightyena, started to pace towards the downed bug-type, hackles raised and snarling the whole time. It moved silently through the night, each deliberate step of its paws failing to rustle leaves and snap branches.

Butterfree tried to pick his head up, but the world was spinning and his wings wouldn't work. He tried to push himself up using his tiny forepaws, but he didn't even have the strength for that.

"Finish it! Use Crunch!" Butterfree heard the trainer shout. He could feel the migthyena's breath by his head, hear the snarl right in his internal ears.

_Finish this! _Butterfree thought he recognized the new voice suddenly shouting, but his head wasn't in any shape to actually provide an answer as to whom the voice belonged. Something whizzed through the night.

The breath and snarl vanished. There was commotion all around Butterfree, pokémon shouting and grunting. There was a series of loud, high pitched yelps, the sound of a pokémon being recalled to a pokéball, and then the commotion quieted down.

_Butterfree are you….. that is not good, _Butterfree heard yet another voice say.

_That's one way to put it, _the first voice, a gruff voice, said.

_What do we do? _Another voice asked, high pitched and sounding scared.

_We need to get him to a pokéball, _the gruff voice said. _He can last in there until someone can use a potion on him. _

_How are we- _Butterfree felt somethings wrap around him and gently hoist him into the air -_oh, that's how. I keep forgetting how easy you can carry things. _

_ What do we do now? _Someone asked. Butterfree though didn't hear any answer to the question. With the threats gone he let himself slip into oblivion.

* * *

Electricity crackled and buzzed. Yellow light danced between trees and branches. Leaves crinkled and were reduced to cinders. Tendrils of yellow power splayed all over the forest.

But the cubone kept shielding the slugma from Pikachu's assaults. No matter the angle Pikachu tried to attack from, no matter the amount of power he put into his attacks, no matter the timing or the frequency of his shocks, Pikachu just couldn't take down the slugma.

He had tried to disengage and rejoin Ash an additional two instances, but each attempt was stopped by the cubone and slugma working together to cut him off. Pikachu's fur was singed and blackened in a few more places and there was a throbbing pain in Pikachu's side that would probably end up as a very nasty bruise.

A few times Pikachu caught snippets of a high-pitched voice giving what sounded like orders. But the electric-type hadn't caught a glimpse of the source of the voice, so he had paid it no mind.

Panting, Pikachu looked over at the cubone and the slugma again. There were a few scuffs on the ground type pokémon, from when Pikachu had been able to land some Quick Attacks. The slugma was untouched.

Pikachu was lathered in sweat, drops dripping off of his tail, off of his ears, and the ends of his fur. His limbs felt leaden. His cheeks ached from the strain of firing off so many electric attacks.

The cubone stepped forward, its club held in a low ready stance. Pikachu growled and bared his own teeth. He started building up another charge, ready to continue the fight.

But before either of them could do anything, water streamed through the forest, striking the cubone in the side of the face. Pikachu could see the ground type's eyes went wide behind its skull helmet before the attack sent it flying.

The slugma's reaction was blindingly fast. Before Pikachu could quite finish processing what had happened, the enemy fire type spat out a ball of fire at Pikachu, and then turned to the direction the water blast had come from.

Pikachu fell backwards and closed his eyes, feeling the heat from the passing attack curl his fur, seeing the backs of his eyelids go orange. When the sensations had faded, Pikachu opened his eyes, and sprang back to his feet.

The spot where the slugma should have been was encased in a cloud of steam. More blasts of water were coming in, spearing into the steam cloud and then out the other side.

_Take this! _Pikachu screamed. Sparks flew from his cheeks and from his tail as the small yellow pokémon built up a charge. And then Pikachu threw a Thunderbolt attack into the steam cloud, electrifying it. The cloud roiled, yellow light flickering within, and the slugma screamed.

While that was happening, another jet of water pierced the cloud. A small current ran up the jet when it hit the electrified cloud.

_Shit! Watch what you're doing! _A voice shouted. Pikachu recognized the voice; it belonged to Squirtle.

_You watch what you're doing! _Pikachu shouted back. _I was shocking it first! _

_ Umm….. I… er….. maybe we should make sure it's down? _Another voice said from near the same location as where Squirtle's voice was coming from. Pikachu recognized it as Charmander.

_Fine, _Pikachu growled. And then he fired off another Thunderbolt into the dissipating steam cloud. The current tore the cloud apart, leaving the slugma exposed before Pikachu. The Thunderbolt attack curved low and hit the fire-type right in the face.

While the slugma screamed, Squirtle used Water Gun, the pressurized stream of water sailing right past Pikachu's shoulder, and drilling into Cubone, who had been sneaking up behind the electric type.

_Thanks, _Pikachu said flatly, watching the cubone collapse out of the corner of his eye. He then fired off a Thunderwave attack at the downed slugma. Rings of electricity earthed themselves in the fire-type, paralyzing it.

Two beams of red light lanced out of the darkness of the forest, the hidden trainer from Team Rocket, recalling their pokémon. Pikachu, Squirtle, and Charmander waited for a moment, to see if they would be doing anything else, but there was no further action from the trainer.

_Let's go! _Pikachu growled after the moment was done and then he darted off towards where he last remembered Ash to be.

_Wait up! _Squirtle cried out. _We need to wait for Bulbasaur and Charmander! _

But Pikachu didn't respond. He had already disappeared into the night.

* * *

Jets of water, frothy and grey in the night under the waning moon, shot into the sky as the Squirtle Squad tried to fend off the aerial attackers. At the same time, the squirtles were being harassed by long green vines that snaked out of the forest, battering shells and laying open flesh.

Brilliant purple beams of glowing energy lanced out from the girafarig, blasting a geodude that had been trying to put it down using Rock Throw. The geodude tumbled back, and fell limply to the ground. It joined many of the other pokémon from the village.

The staryu from the village attempted to blast the girafarig in the tail with a Water Gun attack, but the ralts threw up a translucent glowing pane of psychic power.

"Pidgeotto, Gust around Staryu!" Ash shouted while he watched the ralts defend. He was sheltered behind a tree, trying to observe the whole battlefield.

Pidgeotto swooped out of the sky, pausing to flap her wings twice, before shooting back up into the night sky. A windstorm erupted around the staryu, just before the ralts dismissed the Light Screen and reached out one tiny hand towards a nearby tree. Leaves glowed and then flew from the tree at the staryu, the attack Magical Leaf.

The glowing leaves pierced through the miniature tornado and then out of the other side. Pidgeotto's attacked faded, and Ash could see the staryu, largely undamaged by the Magical Leaf attack.

A cluster of needles thudded into the tree next to Ash's head and the pokéraised boy flinched back, tripping over a tree root. He fell to the ground, his back erupting into a universe of pure pain. Another brace of needles passed over him, right where his face would have been if he hadn't tripped.

Ash started to scramble away, only to freeze up when a wave of agony washed over him. He felt the skin on his back tear, nerves singing their silent song of suffering. The pokéraised boy forced himself to start moving again, pushing through the pain to get up and sprint deeper into the forest.

Ash found a new tree to duck behind and then turned his attention back to the battle. The staryu was now covered in a purple glow, hovering in the air before the ralts. Ash could see its limbs tremble and he knew that it must have been fighting against the telekinetic hold.

Ash glanced at the Squirtle Squad. Several of the water-types were on the ground, clutching at the sides of their heads as the zubats hovered above them, the horrible screeching from the Supersonic attacks keeping the squirtles down. Vines from the forest whipped at their prone forms.

The rest of the squad was blasting away at the beedrill, keeping it from finishing off the downed Squirtles with Poison Sting attacks.

Ash then turned to the girafarig, who was hounding a weepinbell and a pair of rattatas. Next to them lay another weepinbell, limp on the ground, next to a similarly limp bellsprout.

Ash grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He knew he had to prioritize. Pidgeotto was the only pokémon free to act and she was needed in three places at once. He just needed to figure out which situation was the most important.

He looked again at the vines lashing at the downed Squirtle Squad and then at the weepinbell frantically trying to escape from the girafirag.

_Pidgeotto! _Ash screamed skywards. _Sand-Tornado that girafarig! _

Heeding her trainer's call, Pidgeotto dropped from the night sky; a dark silhouette against the moon and stars. She swooped over the normal/psychic-type and then began to flap her wings rapidly. Winds began to cut into the ground, pulverizing dirt and small rocks, and sucking up the debris. A sandy-brown whirlwind formed around the girafarig, stopping it in its tracks.

_Everyone but the Squirtle Squad get over here! _Ash shouted. _Pidgeotto get up in the air again! _

Pidgeotto sped forward, wings flapping furiously as she gained altitude. The pokémon from the village scampered, crawled, and ran over to the boy. Ash looked over at the staryu and grimaced as he saw it go limp. The ralts threw it to the side and then turned towards Ash.

A brilliant orange blaze erupted in the night, a new conflagration arcing towards the pokémon grouping together around Ash.

_Pidgeotto! _Ash cried out again and the flying type responded. She cut over the fire and used Gust once again. A new whirlwind sucked up the brilliant flames, leaving a spinning column of orange light to illuminate the battlefield. The sudden light was a harsh contrast to the dark forest, clearing away darkness and leaving long shadows behind.

Psybeams lanced out at Pidgeotto from the girafirig and the ralts. At the same time, Ash heard the hiss of Poison Sting attacks flying through the air, the needles glinting in the firelight. Ash's pokémon corkscrewed through the air, avoiding the attacks, sometimes by the smallest of margins.

The attacks from the Rocket pokémon continued; Psybeams, Poison Stings, and more flames. Pidgeotto continued to avoid them all, but Ash could tell that her movements were becoming more panicked, less graceful. He could tell that it was only a matter of time until she was hit.

_Someone help her! _Ash called out, not knowing if there were any pokémon who were able and willing to assist.

Three small shapes dropped out of the sky, the three pidgies from the village, their small wings flapping. Three small Gust attacks sprang up behind Pidgeotto and merged into one larger whirlwind. Flames and needles were captured by the rotating winds, creating another pillar of orange light to replace the first one.

Pidgeotto banked towards Ash and the pidgies followed suit.

Yet more fire lanced out from between the trees, errant flames setting dying leaves alight. Pidgeotto and the pidgeies conjured up another whirlwind to block it. Ash was forced to shield his eyes from the torrent of light.

Another gout of flame lanced out from different position. It streaked past the flying types countering the first attack and headed straight for Ash and the pokémon gathered around him.

_Move! _Ash shouted dashing away from the terrible light. The pokémon from the village followed suit. The tree Ash been sheltering behind went up in a blaze.

While that was happening, two Psybeams, their glow dim compared to the flames, blasted at the flying types. One missed, but the other struck one of the pidgies straight in the chest. It fell like a rock and the small shape was motionless on the ground.

Ash dove to the ground, sheltering behind an unburnt tree. He looked back the way the attacks had come. The ralts and the girafig were no longer visable. He could barely make out the struggling Squirtle Squad.

The starlight and the moonlight had been joined by the blazing torches that were trees burning from the attacks of the fire types. The smell of smoke filled the air and there was an uncomfortable warmth all around.

Ash closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. There was a new top priority. They had to deal with those fire types before Team Rocket simply burned them out.

First Ash needed to find them. And then he needed to take them out quickly.

Ash looked over the pokémon around him, trying to figure out who had the means to do. One of the geodudes had gotten back up and joined them. There was also the pair of rattatas, a bellsprout, the unlucky magikarp who had managed to flop its way over, and a caterpie, and the remaining bellsprout.

That was probably it, Ash realized. The weepinbell's Sleep Powder was probably their best bet. But how, Ash wondered, could they deliver it? He glanced over at the flying types hovering nearby and had an idea.

_Pidgeotto! _Ash called out. _See if you can't help the squirtles! Just be careful! _

_ Got it! _Pidgeotto called back, before soaring away to help the beleaguered water types.

_You two pidgeies, get over here, _Ash then called out. The two small flying types came to a rest nearby.

_What? _One of the squawked.

_I don't want to be here, _the other one said in a distant voice. By the light of fire and moon Ash could see that there were tears leaking from its eyes. Its entire body was trembling.

_Shhhh, _Ash cooed, gently stroking it, keeping one eye out for any more fire attacks. _Shhh… I don't want to be here either. _

With that admission Ash felt like he was teetering on the edge of an abyss. His old fears were lurking below, ready to grab him and drag him into the darkness forever. If he thought about it for too long then he would be lost; and then there would be no one there to help the people or the pokémon from the village.

And Ash **would not **let that happen.

_But, _Ash continued to the pidgey, _there are still some things we have to do if we want everyone to get out of here. We're going to have to fight. Do you think you can do that? _

_Yes, _the pidgey responded, voice shaking like its body. But it still nodded and met Ash's eyes.

_Good, _Ash said, gently rubbing the top of its head. _Now I'm going to need you two to work together. Weepinbell-_

_It's Beautiful Maw, not Jungle Mouth, _the weepinbell interrupted.

_Sorry, Weepinbell, we're going to use your Sleep Powder to take care of those fire-types, _Ash went on. _You two, _Ash looked at the flying types, _will have to carry him over the fire types. Do you think you can do that? _

_Maybe, _the first pidgey said. _But won't they see us coming? _

_I'm going to try and distract them, _Ash replied. _So, you'll see them attacking me, but they won't see you. And you'll want to take a long way around to be safe. Do you think you all can do this? _

The pokémon from the village turned to each other, their gazes initially uncertain. But then they all locked eyes and Ash could see them all stand up straighter. They turned back to Ash.

_We can do it, _the second pidgey said.

_Thank you, _Ash said, giving both pidgeies a gentle rub on the head and giving a nod to the weepinbell.

Each pidgey grabbed one of the large leaves on weepinbell's sides and then they took off. Ash watched them go for a second and then turned his attention back to the main fight.

The Squirtle Squad and Pidgeotto had managed to drive off the zubats long enough for their comrades to recover from the Supersonic attacks, but now they were also being assaulted by the ralts and the girafarig.

The equine pokémon was galloping around, firing off weak Psybeams to harass Pidgeotto while the Ralts was using its powers to push the squirtles around, preventing them from forming up to deal with the beedrill and the returning zubats.

Ash looked at the remaining pokémon from the village. He knew that one of the rattatas with him knew Superfang. The caterpies knew String Shot, but Ash guessed that they wouldn't be as good as Butterfree had been when he was still a caterpie. And the geodude knew Rock Throw.

_We're going to have to take down that girafarig, _Ash told them. _And then that ralts. Geodude, Caterpie, and Caterpie, attack it from range. Rattata, keep low, get close, and wait for my signal and then use Super Fang. And Rattata, you're with me. We're going to be a distraction. Everyone got it? _

_ No! _Rattata exclaimed. _What's the signal! _

_ I'll tell you to attack, _Ash said.

_I'm not sure that I won't accidently hit you, _the geodude said.

_Then_ _I'll just try and dodge you too, _Ash replied.

_I'm not sure how far we can fire String Shot, _the taller of the two caterpies said.

_Don't worry, _Ash said, a stupid plan forming. _I might be able to help there. Alright, let's go! _

Ash stood up. More harsh orange light bloomed further off in the forest, more fire attacks coming at Ash. But Ash was already moving forward, the small pokémon running behind him. Fire splashed behind him, heat washing him, but Ash ignored it.

His back was still silently screaming. Ash could feel something hot and liquid running down it and his shirt was sticking to his skin. If he took a moment to dwell on the pain, Ash thought that it would paralyze him. He had to keep moving, keep focusing on other things. He had to stay two steps ahead of the fear and the pain.

The battle drew closer. More fire attacks illuminated the night. Light burst and flames crackled on either side of Ash. Heat and smoke washed over his face, but he continued to focus on his target.

The girafarig paused in its harassment of the Squirtle Squad. It turned to look at the charging boy.

And that's when Geodude hurled his first rock. It hit the equine pokémon on the side, causing it to flinch. Sticky silk flew through the air, missing the girafarig by yards, but distracting it further.

_Rattata use Tackle! _Ash shouted, pointing forward as he ran. The rodent like pokémon scampered forward, overtaking the boy. A purple blur launched itself at the girafarig. But the equine pokémon nimbly trotted out of the way of the pokémon's attack.

And then Ash was there. He leapt up, arms and legs out, and landed off-center on the surprised girafarig's back. The pink spikes dug into the boy's thigh, but Ash was running on too much adrenaline to feel it. He grabbed at the pokémon's white horns and yanked.

Primal instincts, roused by the sudden feeling of something on its back, overtook the normal/psychic-type. Reason forgotten, the equine pokémon began to rear and buck, trying to throw its unwelcome passenger off of its back. Ash held onto the horns for dear life, attempting to steer the enemy pokémon closer to the geodude and caterpies.

Ash felt the somewhat familiar sensation of telekinesis wash over him, trying to pull him off the girafarig. He turned his head to see the ralts looking at him, one hand raised.

_String Shot the ralts! _Ash cried out as the telekinetic hold grew firmer. A line of white silk flew through the air, striking the ralts on the side of the head. It dropped its hold on Ash and began to tug at the silk.

_Geodude, pull it to you! _Ash shouted as he continued to struggle against the bucking girafarig. Ash had to turn his attention back to the pokémon beneath him, but he thought that he heard a small yelp from the ralts.

Ash managed to steer the girafarig closer to geodude and the two caterpies, putting himself and the enemy pokémon between the pokémon from the village and the attacking fire types. Team Rocket wouldn't be able to use their fire attacks without hitting the girafarig.

String Shots impacted the girafarig on its flank and legs. Strands of stick silk entangled themselves into the yellow and brown fur of the normal/psychic type, hindering its movements.

And then Ash twisted the wrong way and his back suddenly quit letting him ignore it.

The pokéraised boy fell off the hoofed pokémon, paralyzed by pain. White hot agony ruled Ash's senses, his back a hellscape, and his thighs adding sharp reminders of the girafarig's spikes. He landed on his side and it took all of Ash's willpower not to curl up and faint.

The girafarig quit bucking, calmed down, and turned to face Ash. Thinking through his pain, the boy guessed that there would probably be a Psybeam soon.

_Rattata, now! _Ash managed to grit out.

Teeth shining with white light, the other rattata sprang up from where it had been slinking. Brilliant fangs sunk into the spot where the girafarig's neck met its shoulder and the wounded pokémon gave a high-pitched scream of pain.

Ash tried to get to his hands and knees, the effort drawing a cry of pain from him as well. He looked up at the girafarig, drawing hissing breathes as he attempted to struggle past his pain, and saw blood spurting from the pokémon's shoulder.

A beam of red light shot out of the woods and the pokémon was recalled. Ash closed his eyes in relief, enjoying a moment's respite.

Then he remembered that there was now no reason for the fire-types not to attack him.

Fear overrode pain and Ash managed to get moving before another fire attack flared up. This time smaller balls of fire soared through the forest. They flew behind Ash and then continued onward to shatter several trees in explosions of sparks and splinters.

The streams of fireballs tracked Ash, swiftly growing closer. Ash tried to run faster, but his back had finally had enough. It seized up and Ash fell forward onto his hand and knees. His eyes were squeezed tight enough that tears began to leak out of their corners as he waited for the fire to catch him.

But it never did. Ash managed to slowly turn himself enough to look behind him. The streams had ceased. He heard faint noises of alarm coming from further in the forest. Ash hoped that it meant that the Sleep Powder gambit had paid off.

Before he could pursue that line of thought any further Ash felt sudden pressure squash him. He let out a strangled scream as the strange force crushed him down.

_And stay down! _Ash heard a pokémon shout. Before him stood the ralts, glowing purple with psychic power, one hand pushing down. It was breathing heavily but the force flattening Ash was inexorable.

And then the ralts was once again hit in the face by a strand of stick silk. It pawed at the sudden covering and was yanked off of its feet. Ash didn't couldn't see what happened next, but he heard the sounds of a struggle.

Thoughts left the boy's head as he simply lay on the ground, caught between agony and relief, a moment without time. The world swam out of focus and Ash felt like he had been hidden behind a comforting gray fog.

The pokéraised child was snapped out of the reverie by stony fingers clasping his shoulders and giving him a rough shake.

_Come on Ash, don't just lie there, _the geodude from the village said. _Team Rocket's still out there and I don't know what to do! _

_ Please get up! _One of the rattata's pleaded.

Ash groaned as his awareness returned. His body leaden. His back was on fire. His head felt both empty and stuffed with cotton.

But he pushed himself up on trembling limbs.

_We need to get in cover again, _Ash told the pokémon by him. _They still have other pokémon out there. Help me up. _

With the assistance of the geodude Ash managed to get back on his feet. He took in a deep breath and then began to limp away from the battle.

Without the harassment from the girafarig and the ralts, the Squirtle Squad had an easier time dealing with the zubats and the beedrill. However, half their number was already down, Ash guessed it was either from the Supersonic attacks, or from poison.

Bellsprouts hidden in the forest still whipped at them with their long vines, and Poison Sting attacks still needled them, but the squad stuck together. They formed a ring around their fallen brethren, and shielded each other with their hard shells.

Ash made a little more progress towards the forest before he heard the sound of flapping wings. Ash looked back and saw the two pidgeies and the weepinbell.

_They're chasing us! _One of the flying types squawked out when they got closer to Ash. The poké-raised child saw more small shapes chasing them, yet another group of zubats. More Supersonics attacks screeched through the night and the pidgeies shrieked. All three pokémon tumbled from the air falling to the ground behind Ash.

_Run! _Ash shouted to the pokémon with him as the zubats dived down towards him. Geodude scooped up the two bug types and rolled away. The rattatas shot off as fast as they could.

Horrible sounds filled Ash's ears, screeching and terrible whines hovering just on the edge of his hearing. His stomach lurched and flipped; the fire-lit world started to spin and Ash felt like the contents of his head had joined it. The boy couldn't maintain his balance and fell to his hands and knees once more.

All sense fled and it was all Ash could do not to completely collapse. He didn't know how long he struggled against the sickness of the Supersonic attack; he didn't really know anything during the confusion.

A sudden painful impact jolted him out of his confusion; an impact accompanied by a sudden wave of darkness and a chill that wasn't quite physical. The world flipped instead of spinning and Ash came to his sense just in time to realize that he was falling.

Ash crashed into the ground back first; another painful impact to join a long list of painful impacts and moments that Ash had experienced that night. His back didn't like the latest one any more than it had liked the previous ones and Ash had the delightful experience of dealing with another paralyzing wave of pain.

Ash grit his teeth, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes (yet again), and levered himself up on his elbows. One zubat, larger than the others, was slowly, languidly, deliberately, making its way over to Ash. The rest of the newly arrived zubats joined their fellows in attacking the Squirtle Squad.

The water-types responded with an intense barrage of bubble-based attacks, the ovals and spheres almost shining in the fire light as they filled the air above the squirtles. Pidgeotto was streaking from zubat to zubat, talons and beak trying to rip them from the sky. But Ash knew that it was too intense to keep up, it was a desperate, frantic attempt at defense.

Ash turned his attention back to the zubat coming for him. It had come to a stop above and in front of him. Its eyeless face was turned towards the boy below. Ash struggled to get up, to move, to even crawl away, but his body wasn't responding.

A ball of darkness grew in front of the zubat's face and Ash's futile struggles increased. Ash couldn't believe he was in this situation again, helpless on the ground before a Team Rocket pokémon ready to kill him. He was too exhausted, too hurt, to feel much more than a sense of disbelief and know that some corner of his mind was trying to scream.

* * *

AN: Once again I'd like to thank blackcatspecialist for beta reading. And another beta reader that wants to remain unnamed.

And once again, I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews and comments. (Though I will say, if you're going to leave an anonymous review, could you do so on AO3 where I can respond directly to them if I think a response is required?)

I wrote all these fight scenes a few weeks ago. And then I've been editing them on and off since then. It's been a tiring process, but I hope the results were worth it.

Anyway, don't forget to leave a review or comment!


	30. Chapter 30

Aoba frantically gathered fallen leaves and branches. Beside him, Tauros pawed and nudged at a prone Melanie.

When Team Rocket had separated the group with their blitzkrieg, Aoba and Melanie had run away from the attacking pokémon, withdrawing into the tree line. A blast of fire had exploded near them and the next thing Aoba knew, he was watching Melanie fall to the ground, a bloody gash on her head.

In the chaos of the battle, between the bursts of flame, streams of rushing water, brilliant beams of psychic energy, and flights of poisoned needles, Aoba had found Tarous hiding deeper in the forest and loaded the wounded woman onto the pokémon's back. The three of them had fled together. Aoba led them far enough into the woods to be out of sight from the battle and then had tried tending to Melanie.

Aoba had done his best to make her comfortable, hidden under a bush. The former biochemist had then begun working to camouflage her. He had no idea if he was going about it the correct way, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her in the open.

When he had finished covering Melanie, Aoba turned to Tauros.

"Try to hide," the scientist told the pokémon. "And keep an eye on her. I've got to go back. I can't leave Aaron by himself."

_You're going to get yourself killed, aren't you, _Tauros replied, features drooping. She gently bit the man's sleeve when he turned to go.

"You'll be alright," Aoba said, giving the pokémon's head a quick rub. "Just stay safe." And then he tugged his sleeve free of Tauros's mouth and took off back towards the battle.

Tauros watched him go with tearful eyes.

* * *

Pikachu burst from the underbrush, burnt, lathered in sweat, covered in forest debris, and bleeding from several small cuts. A scene of burning trees and downed pokémon greeted him.

Half of the Squirtle Squad were on the ground and the remaining members didn't look like they would last much longer. Pokémon who had been getting treated at the village lay scattered about. And Ash-

Ash lay on the ground, feebly moving as a zubat prepared to launch an attack.

Pikachu moved without thought; moved faster than he could think. Between one moment and the next, he vanished and reappeared next to Ash. The zubat flinched in surprise at the electric type's sudden appearance.

Yellow light mixed with the orange glow from the fires and the crackling buzz of electricity filled the clearing, competing with the roar of the flames. Pikachu speared the zubat with a Thunderbolt attack, the stream of yellow power engulfing the poison- type and continuing onward into the night sky.

Threat dealt with, Pikachu turned back to look at his trainer. What he saw filled him with a fury he had very rarely felt.

Ash's face was dirtied, bruised, and tear-stained; one of his legs was covered in blood and Pikachu could see red stains all over his arms. The boy was shaking like a leaf in the wind and his eyes were only just then focusing on Pikachu.

Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks, from his whole body. The tiredness from his battle with the cubone and slugma was forgotten, the leaden pain in his limbs from his sprint through the forest was forgotten, the ache in his cheeks from using too many electric attacks was forgotten.

_They did this to you, _Pikachu said to Ash in a voice that was half hiss and half growl. A static charge filled the air around the pokémon, sparks snapping and popping into existence around him.

_Pikachu, _Ash said in a small voice, reaching out with one hand.

_They'll pay, _Pikachu promised and his voice must have sounded strange enough to startle Ash; the poké-raised child's eyes widened at the sound of it.

Pikachu turned his attention back to the pokémon from Team Rocket. To the cloud of zubats over the Squirtle Squad, to the beedrill flying around, to the whipping vines from the bellsprouts hidden in the trees.

_YOU'LL ALL PAY! _Pikachu screamed, unleashing the electric power that had been building up inside of him.

The glow of his power outshone the growing forest fire and the world turned yellow. Bolts of electricity branched out of Pikachu reaching for the pokémon from Team Rocket, the smell of ozone conquering the smell of smoke and a crackling buzz filled the clearing once more.

Zubats and bellsprouts shrieked as electricity ran through their wings and vines respectively. Zubats fell from the sky, Pikachu's electricity pursuing them, coursing through them as they fell. The vines from the bellsprouts, jerked, writhed, and lashed all around in their electric agony. In their thrashing the vines struck several of the standing squirtles, giving them electric shocks as well.

Pikachu's attack lasted long enough for the zubats and the bellsprouts to stop screaming before the tremendous buzzing yellow power faded. Pikachu stood before Ash, panting as he looked over the destruction he had wrought.

A sudden wave of dizziness came over him and the electric-type fell to four limbs. He shook his head vigorously and looked back over at the Rocket pokémon.

His attack had missed some of the zubats and the beedrill. They had ceased their assault on the Squirtle Squad and now had turned to face him. The standing members of the Squirtle Squad took the opportunity to gather up their fallen brethren and drag them to the relative safety of the other side of the clearing.

Pikachu growled at the flying pokémon and his growls were answered by more growls coming from Team Rocket's side of the clearing. A mightyena and a poochyena, both scuffed, dirtied, and bruised, stepped out of the forest, hackles raised and teeth barred.

White light flashed and they were joined by more pokémon. Zubats, just as beaten and bruised as the dark types below, appeared. Damaged vines from even more bellsprouts reached out of the forest. Cubone, beaten but no longer bloodied, steeped out from between the trees, gently tapping his palm with his club, followed by the slugma.

Pikachu's growl grew in intensity as he saw further threats to his trainer. Sparks fell from his cheeks, but for some reason Pikachu found himself having trouble building up a charge.

The pokémon moved forward and then their trainers finally appeared. Five humans, a mix of men and women, in dark grey camouflage uniforms. They carried various weapons in their hands, a collection of knives, batons, and small crossbows.

Pikachu locked his glare with the impassive stares from Team Rocket, with the glares of their pokémon. Flames roared and trees groaned as the fire grew. A haze of smoke had started to settle over the clearing, a twilight fog growing ever darker.

A twig snapped behind him and Pikachu looked over his shoulder.

* * *

Ash didn't even register the appearance of the human trainers at first. He was too busy trying to pick himself up, pull himself together. It wasn't until he had half dragged himself halfway to his feet that Ash noticed them.

And then he heard a noise behind him. Gingerly turning, trying not to upset his already abused back, Ash looked behind him.

Squirtle and Charmander walked out of the trees. Charmander's expression was drawn into a snarl that seemed ill at home on his face. Squirtle's expression was inscrutable behind his sunglasses, but something about the way he held himself suggested that he had his game face on.

Behind both of them came Bulbasaur, holding Butterfree in his vines. Butterfree could barely hold his head up; his antennas were limp and wings drooped. But his brilliant red eyes flashed when he saw the state of his trainer. Bulbasaur's face was drawn into its usual scowl, but the haze of smoke made it seem more intimidating.

_Boss! _One of the remaining members of the Squirtle Squad called out from where they had dragged their wounded comrades. _You're back!_

_Yes, _Squirtle replied, sunglasses glinting in the firelight. _Form up! It's time to finish this!_

_The trainers are finally showing their faces, _Charmander growled. His tail flame grew in intensity. _I want to hurt them. _

_Hold up, _Bulbasaur grumbled. _ Get our human out of the crossfire before we do anything else. Pikachu! Ash, get moving!_

_Ash, are you okay? _Pidgeotto said, fluttering down from her fight with the flying pokémon from Team Rocket. She hooked her talons into his jacket and attempted to help the boy up.

"Form up!" One of the trainers from Team Rocket shouted at the same time. "Everyone, standard formations!"

Bulbasaur set Butterfree down by the trees at the edge of the clearing. His vines then reached out to assist Ash, aiding Pidgeotto in helping the child to his feet as the pokémon and the trainers from Team Rocket assembled.

The poocheyna and mightyena took point, bodies low to the ground, growling as they crept forward. The slugma and cubone took positions behind them, one on either side, guarding their flanks. The remaining zubats and the beedrill hovered overhead in a malevolent cloud of wings. The humans spread out behind their pokémon, taking cover behind trees on their side of the clearing.

The remnants of the Squirtle Squad formed a line between Ash and Team Rocket. Pikachu followed Ash back to the trees, guarding his trainer's back.

_Get Butterfree in his pokéball, _Bulbasaur ordered. _And then get out of here!_

_No! _Ash managed to grunt back. _You might need me!_

_You're in no shape- _Bulbasaur began, eyes on Team Rocket, but Ash cut him off.

_Like you would run if our places were switched, _Ash said, getting out Butterfree's pokéball. _Butterfree, return!_

Butterfree was recalled with a flash of red light. Ash put the pokéball back on in its place on his belt with trembling limbs. And then he looked out into the clearing at Team Rocket.

Ash wondered why they had chosen to show themselves and then looked up at the cloud of zubats. Most of them had scuffs and marks on them from previous battles, but some were fresh. Ash remembered some comments from Team Rocket's first attack, days ago. He remembered how the zubats had talked about getting messages from their trainers or how the other pokémon had talked about getting messages from zubats.

Ash looked at the fresh zubats again and wondered if they were the zubats responsible for handling communications. If so, Ash figured, then the trainers from Team Rocket were showing themselves because they needed those zubats to fight.

The realization gave Ash new energy. Team Rocket was running out of resources. They had committed their reserves.

If they could endure this final assault, then Team Rocket would have nothing more to throw at them.

Ash looked over the Rocket pokémon again and two things struck him. First was that there seemed to be pokémon missing from the roster, ones that he didn't see defeated. Second was that they hadn't attacked yet.

He was missing something-

_Everyone, pull back, _Ash shouted. _And tell me what pokémon you encountered!_

_I had to fight a machop and two bellsprouts, _Bulbasaur reported as he withdrew.

_Two zubats and two bellsprouts, _Squirtle shouted as his squad hurried back.

_That cubone and slugma, _Pikachu spat from by Ash's feet.

_A poliwag! _Charmander growled.

There had been a nidorino in that first attack, Ash recalled. And there had been that ariados that Pikachu had taken out at the beginning of the fight. Ash knew that more than enough time had passed to recall and treat the bug/poison-type.

_They've got two poison types hidden in the trees, _Ash said, scanning the other side of the clearing, through the smoky haze. _And one of them probably knows String Shot. Charmander, Pikachu, Bulbasaur! Let's make the first move! Attack from range! Ember, Thundershock, and Razor Leaf!_

A stream of small flames, small tendrils of electricity, and a volley of razor-sharp greenery crossed the battlefield. As the flames and electricity passed through seemingly empty air, they encountered something flammable. Energies briefly flared in midair and Ash was confident that they had just destroyed a String Shot web.

Ash heard shouts from the other side of the clearing and then the visible pokémon from Team Rocket began to move forward. The wisps of darkness floated out from between the mightyena's teeth. The slugma opened its mouth and fire appeared. And, Ash caught a glimpse of several glints in the forest behind it.

_Incoming! _Ash shouted, ducking behind a tree. Needles from Poison Sting attacks slammed into the trunk. The pokémon with him either took similar shelter or withdrew into their shells.

The mightyena and slugma launched their attacks and then all the visible pokémon from Team Rocket began to move forward.

_Gust! _Ash shouted. _Strong as you can!_

Pidgeotto gave four strong flaps of her wings as the attacks closed in and summoned up the largest Gust yet of the night. Darkness and fire were caught in the swirling winds, forming a rotating pillar of orange light and pitch-black darkness.

_Send it back to them! _Ash shouted. _Pikachu, Thundershock as well! Squirtle Squad, when the Gust fades, Bubble and Bubblebeam!_

Pikachu unleashed more tendrils of electricity that reached around the dark fire tornado as it sped back at the Rocket formation. The Rocket pokémon had scattered to either side of the column as they advanced and some didn't react to Pikachu's attack in time.

The mightyena and the slugma grit their teeth as electricity coursed through them. One of the zubats fell from the sky, electrocuted and unconscious.

And then bubbles, spherical and ovaloid, streaked across the clearing, shining with reflected fire light, an eerie light in the haze. The cubone defended itself with its club, blocking and parrying the bubbles, each bubble exploding and tearing at the haze. The slugma ducked as low as it could, letting itself melt or sprawl all over the ground, head tilted back as it watched the watery projectiles pass by overhead.

Poochyena yelped in pain as it was pelted, the bursting bubbles knocking the canine-like pokémon on its side. Mightyena growled and charged forward, ignoring the projectiles. The zubats scattered, bobbing and weaving around the water attacks. The beedrill thrust its stingers forward, cutting a path through the onslaughts of the Squirtle Squad.

_Now charge! _Ash shouted as pokémon from Team Rocket closed in. _Pidgeotto take that beedrill! Pikachu, take those zubats! Watch out for everyone else!_

_You heard the human! Charge! _Squirtle shouted to his squad. _Hit them hard! _

With a chorus of cheers, shouts, and threats, the Squirtle Squad withdrew into their shells and launched themselves at the Rocket pokémon. Their water jets mingled together and it seemed like there was a wave launching a mass of shells forward.

_Payback time! _Bulbasaur shouted, vines reaching out as he ran forward.

_Let's teach them not to mess with us! _The geodude from the village cried out, running forwards on its hands. The two rattatas let out wordless shouts of rage and followed close behind. Charmander let out a high-pitched growl as he joined the charge.

"Mass Supersonic!" A human from the other side of the clearing called out. Moving as one the zubats opened their mouths and their horrible screeches rang out. Ash could see the sound warp the water behind the Squirtles, watching the wave twist, deform, and disperse. The geodude and the rattatas collapsed instantly, rolling and skidding to a stop on the ground.

But it wasn't enough to stop the shells. Mightyena yelped in pain as he took a shell straight to the center of his head. Cubone attempted to block another squirtle, but when shell clashed with bone, bone gave way and the cubone was knocked off its feet.

The zubats were forced to break off their assault and dodge around the shells. Beedrill slapped one out of the way with its stingers, but was left open for a Wing Attack from Pidgeotto.

Pidgeotto's attack clipped the bug-type's head, sending it tumbling through the air, until it regained control of itself, mere feet above the ground. It shook its head and then charged back at Pidgeotto.

Pikachu unleashed another Thundershock attack, tendrils of electricity reaching into the cloud of zubats. The poison/flying-types managed to avoid the strands of electric power, soaring in a tight group like an airborne bait ball, making it difficult for Pikachu to target any single zubat.

Bulbasaur's vines lashed out, wrapping around the mightyena's snout, snapping the mouth closed. Mightyena tugged and growled, trying to yank itself free. But its growls turned to whines as Bulbasaur managed to pick it up by its snout and raise it above his head. Sporting a savage grin, Bulbasaur slammed the dark-type down on the slugma.

But while Bulbasaur was preoccupied with that, other vines reached out from the sides of the clearing. They wrapped around Bulbasaur and his vines, immobilizing him.

Ash realized that they were the bellsprouts whose vines he had seen earlier. Team Rocket must have used the time while the two sides were staring each other down to move their grass types into position.

_Charmander, help Bulbasaur! _Ash hollered. _I need you to try and keep those vines off of everyone!_

A high-pitched sound, like a cross between a mew and a roar, was his response. Charmander took in a deep breath and unleashed an Ember attack at the vines entangling Bulbasaur.

But before the stream of small flames could do more than brush the vines, the zubats came together and screeched their Supersonic attack. Charmander couldn't even last an instant under their combined barrage. He fell to the ground, keening and clutching at the sides of his head.

However, the zubats couldn't keep up their attacks any longer than Charmander could. Yellow light flared once more and the zubats were forced to scatter before Pikachu's attack. One wasn't quick enough and was engulfed in buzzing yellow power, falling from the sky, singed and scorched.

Charmander groaned and picked himself up again, while Ash turned to Pikachu. The human boy could see that his starter was panting and barely standing, one forepaw against the tree to support himself.

_Pikachu, I need you to be honest, _Ash said. _You're spent, aren't you?_

_I can still fight- _Pikachu tried to protest, leaning away from the tree to make his point, only to immediately start wobbling on his feet. Pikachu fell back against the tree to keep to his feet.

_Okay, maybe not, _Pikachu admitted, panting.

_We're going to need a new way to deal with that zubat swarm then, _Ash said, looking back over the battlefield.

Charmander had managed to free Bulbasaur from the vines and was skirmishing with the bellsprouts, flames fending off vines. The Squirtle Squad was fighting on multiple fronts, water attacks harassing the zubats, the slugma, and the cubone. Bulbasaur had once more begun to attack the mightyena and poochyena.

Ash didn't see any sign of the ariados or the nidorino. The pokéraised child figured that they would either be staying back to launch Poison Sting attacks from the safety of the trees or they were repositioning. Ash glanced around again, realizing that he didn't have any way to deal with them when they made their move.

Ash looked back at the zubats, swirling overhead, doing their best to disrupt the forces from the village with bursts of Supersonic. The Squirtle Squad had to switch targets to keep the zubats moving and not attacking, which freed up the other Rocket pokémon.

Ash watched as the slugma belched out a glob of fire that met a stream of water from one of the squirtles, both attacks exploding into a cloud of steam.

_Dang, _Pikachu muttered. _Last time I got it because it was in the cloud. _

_What do you mean? _Ash asked, half paying attention to his pokémon as he tried to think up a plan.

_Squirtle hit the slugma before and it tried to hide in the steam, _Pikachu explained. _So, I just shocked the steam. _

Ash looked at Pikachu, at the zubats, at Squirtle, and then at Charmander.

He had an idea.

His brain was telling him it was a bad idea without explaining why.

Ash thought that he should try it/Ash knew that he shouldn't do it until he figured out why he thought it was a bad idea.

Ash couldn't bring himself to stop and think. Pokémon were shouting, screaming, yelling, roaring, and making all the noises of pain, anger, and fear. The boy couldn't bring himself to ignore that. He shouted out warnings and suggestions as the melee continued, trying to do as much as he could to spare the pokémon on his side from pain.

And even that was difficult for Ash. His earlier pain hadn't receded; the pokéraised boy had simply overcome it long enough to put it out of mind. But it was still there, lurking, a bill that he would have to pay eventually. It made it difficult for Ash to focus on anything other than the most immediate of circumstances.

The zubats used a Mass Supersonic attack to take down one of the remaining squirtles and Ash knew that they wouldn't be able to win unless something changed. Ash knew that he needed to deal with the zubats.

_Charmander! Squirtle! Get over here! _Ash cried out, doing his best to be heard over the din of battle. _Pidgeotto- _And then Ash realized why his idea was a bad one and how he could fix it –_ buy them some time with another Gust! And then get over here!_

Winds spun together at Pidgeotto's command, scattering pokémon. Charmander and Squirtle sprinted across the battlefield, a Shadow Ball attack from the mightyena barely missing them. They ducked and the ball of darkness sailed over their heads, battering down a tree, the explosion of dark energies demolishing bark, branch, and wood.

Ash ducked behind his tree as a shower of splinters rained down around him, ignoring the pain in his back and legs that the sudden movement caused. He leaned out of cover again as the pokémon he had called over arrived.

_We're going to try and deal with the zubats, _Ash told them. _Thank Pikachu for this dumb idea. _

_Don't go blaming this on me, _Pikachu protested from his spot at the base of the tree. _What is it anyway?_

_Charmander, I'm going to need you to get a sustained flame going, _Ash instructed, slowly kneeling down until he was near eye level for the pokémon. _Squirtle, I'm going to need you to hit that flame with a Water Gun attack, pointing it at the zubats. Pidgeotto, I'm going to need you to guide the steam that they'll make and make sure that it goes towards the zubats. Pikachu-_

_I'm going to zap the steam! _Pikachu grinned an evil grin, tiny bolts of electricity dancing on his cheek pads.

_This is a bad idea, _Ash went on, grimacing as his wounded leg protested his current position. _I don't know why exactly, but-_

_I'm probably going to get shocked, that's why, _Squirtle said. One of the lenses in his sunglasses was broken, allowing Ash to see one of Squirtle's auburn eyes. It had started to water in the haze that covered the battlefield.

The fire that was spreading through the forest had grown large enough that the crackling of the flames had merged into one dull, constant roar. It was another thing that Ash knew they would have to deal with.

_That's why! Darkrai's cruelty! _Ash swore. He clenched his fists. He was out of ideas and they needed them more than ever! _We can't do that then we'll need to-_

_No, I can take it, _Squirtle interrupted. Standing straight, his calm gaze locked with Ash's. _We need to stop those zubats, right? And this is our best chance? Then I can do it. _

_Are you sure? _Ash asked, reaching out to put one hand on Squirtle's shoulder. _I can't ask you to-_

_And you aren't asking me to, _Squirtle replied. _We don't have time to argue. Charmander are you ready?_

_Yeah! _Charmander nodded. Behind him, the battle raged on.

Bulbasaur was cutting through the whipping vines of the bellsprouts with a volley of Razor Leaf attacks; The slugma was taken out by a Bubblebeam attack straight to the face; bits of its body were splattered off of the main mass, the molten goo burning the dead leaves on the forest floor. The zubats had taken out yet another member of the Squirtle Squad and the beedrill was picking itself up off the ground after being briefly taken out of the fight by Pidgeotto's Gust attack.

The zubats were forming up again and Ash knew that they had to act soon or all would be lost.

_Charmander, get the flame going! Pikachu, get ready! _Ash told them. _Pidgeotto, you'll have to be ready to go as soon as the steam is made, but not before. We don't want to let the zubats know what we're doing. _

Charmander took in a deep breath and released a small but intense flame. Pidgeotto hovered just above it, eyes lining it up with the zubats. Pikachu scrunched his cheeks, slowly building up an electric charge.

_Squirtle? _Ash turned to the last pokémon needed. Ash couldn't bring himself to voice the question.

_Can't let them show me up, now can I? _Squirtle gave Ash a lopsided grin. _It wouldn't be very cool. Time to do this!_

Squirtle spat out a Water Gun attack, straight into Charmander's flame. Water and fire met with squelching hiss and a cloud of steam was born.

_Pidgeotto! _Ash commanded. Wings flapped and a horizontal column of wind swirled around the steam cloud, guiding it towards the zubats. And before they could react, Ash spoke again.

_Pikachu! Go! _Ash cried out. At his command, Pikachu gave a cry and let loose one more Thunderbolt attack. The yellow light couldn't overcome the shrouding haze, the buzz was lost to the roar of the fires in the forest around them, but the bolt was true. It hit the steam cloud.

Jagged yellow lines drew themselves in the cloud, crackling, buzzing, dancing, and sparking. Pidgeotto's winds carried the cloud towards the zubats, who were preparing to launch a mass Supersonic at Bulbasaur. They noticed the incoming attack too late.

Zubats shrieked as scalding steam and excruciating electromagnetic currents engulfed them. Squirtle let out a noise that was half scream and half groan as some of the electric current traveled down his attack, earthing itself in him. Ash reached out to touch him, to comfort him, but the snapping sparks and buzzing current warned him away.

Squirtle powered on through the obvious pain and his water attack kept coming. Charmander kept his flame burning bright. Pidgeotto's winds spun. And Pikachu swayed in place, screaming a war cry as he kept unleashing his electric power.

Ash heard shouts coming from the other side of the clearing and the remaining Rocket pokémon leapt into action.

The mightyena opened its mouth again, dark energies growing. But instead of unleashing another Shadow Ball attack, the energies extended from the canine pokémon's mouth and formed a blade. The dark-type charged forward, dark blade pointed right at Charmander.

Cubone ducked under a Water Gun attack, smashing its bone club into the backside of a squirtle's shell to send it sprawling on the ground. It then dashed forward; the bone club held high.

The poochyena dashed towards the largest concentration of Squirtles and then suddenly, there were three more poochyenas on the field. Snapping and snarling, they harried the squirtles, real and illusory teeth biting at tails and ankles.

Beedrill soared around the sparking cloud, stingers lining up with Ash and the pokémon near him.

The remaining vines twisted themselves together and formed a whipping trunk-tentacle. It lashed out at Bulbasaur, who sidestepped the attack. The strike left a large divot or small ditch in the ground.

_Enough of this! _Bulbasaur snarled. When the combined Vine Whip lifted up, Bulbasaur's own vines lashed out, wrapping around the mega-vine and lifting himself to it. Small brownish pellets flew through the air, nearly invisible in the smoke and the smog and the haze. More vines erupted, leafy vines growing all over the mega-vine, wrapping around it and digging into it.

Bellsprouts cried out in pain as a red glow engulfed their combined vine. It lashed to and fro in desperate agony, forcing the mightyena and the cubone to abandon their charges to avoid being clobbered.

More things flew through the air, blade-sharp greenery. Beedrill was forced to drop from the air to avoid having its wings shredded by the Razor Leaves.

Zubats tried to scatter, but Pidgeotto manipulated her winds to draw them back in. Supersonic shrieks echoed within the cloud, the zubats accidently turning their attacks on each other in their agony. Blue pokémon began to droop and drop from the air, only to be caught by the whirling winds and either spat back into the heart of the cloud or spat limp into the air, to crash unmoving on the ground.

_Everyone let up! _Ash shouted on instinct. _Pidgeotto, Gust around us now! _

Winds swirled, sucking in smoke and dust, forming a dark rotating column that surrounded Ash and the pokémon next to him. Ash waited with bated breath, trying to perceive if there had been any attacks coming. He couldn't tell; he couldn't tell if he had just started to panic from being exposed for too long or if there had been a genuine reason to suspect they were in danger.

_Alright, _Ash said as Pidgeotto's winds began to die down. _Everyone-_

Ash's sentence was interrupted by something small and gray smashing through the dying winds. Ash fell back, the thing passing just over the boy's shoulder, tearing the shoulder of the boy's jacket and the shirt underneath.

Pikachu shouted in distress and there was a small, abortive buzz. As Ash fell down, managing to avoid landing flat on his back, he could see that the electric type had collapsed. Pikachu twitched and tried to push himself up on trembling limbs, but each attempt failed.

_Ash! _Charmander shouted and Ash turned his head to see that the grey blur had landed in the middle of the group. It was the aron from earlier and it had turned around and was staring Ash straight in the eyes.

Claws glowed as the diminutive steel type prepared to charge again, pausing only as Charmander roared his high-pitched roar. Ash and the aron turned to see Charmander charging, an orange glow growing in his mouth. The aron dashed to the side, only to run straight into Squirtle.

_No you don't! _Squirtle said. The water-type was singed, covered in minor electrical burns, and wisps of smoke were still rising from his shell to be lost in the smoky haze, yet he was still able to Tackle the aron before it could take off.

The aron was able to push through Squirtle's attack with ease but not fast enough to escape Charmander. The crackle of Charmander's flames was lost to the sounds of the fires surrounding them, their shine was dimmed by the smoke, and even the smoke was smothered by the haze. The aron's scream of pain, however, was clear as Charmander's Fire Bloom engulfed it.

Squirtle grimaced as some of the flames singed him; his grip on the aron didn't falter. Charmander kept exhaling his flames until the aron quit struggling. Only when it was limp and glowing red did he relent.

Squirtle let go of the steel-type and looked down at his hands. Burns from Charmander's attack had joined his collection of burns from Pikachu's attack; his blue skin had turned an angry purple color where the flames or the heated steel had touched it.

_Squirtle, _Ash began, reaching out to comfort the water-type.

_Not now, _Squirtle waved away Ash's arm. _We've still got to worry about the other pokémon!_

Ash looked out onto the battlefield again. The bellsprouts had managed to free their vines from Bulbasaur's Leach Seed by separating and were once again harassing the Squirtle Squad, assisted by the beedrill. The poochyena was lying unmoving on the ground in a puddle of water. The mightyena and the cubone were fighting Bulbasaur, bone club caught by vines, while the mightyena's shadowy blade was forced to parry Razor Leaf attacks.

Ash coughed; the smoke was growing worse. He hunched down, trying to stay under the worst of it. His mind blanked while he tried to think of what he needed to do, beyond lying on the ground, tired and aching.

_Charmander, _Ash said eventually. _Go deal with the bellsprouts. Squirtle, go help your squad. Pidgeotto, fight beedrill. _

_Wha- _Pikachu said, slowly pushing himself up beside Ash. _What should I do?_

It took Ash far too long to think of the answer, his brain blanking again as the other pokémon ran off to rejoin the battle.

_You should, _Ash began. He felt like he was forgetting something. Something important that he had figured out earlier. But it was getting so hard for the boy just to keep his eyes open. Dull pain engulfed the entirety of the boy's body and every part felt so heavy to the boy. _You should….._

_I should what? _Pikachu asked, staggering against the tree.

Ash saw a hint of purple by firelight and a new shot of adrenaline surged through him.

_Move! _Ash shoved Pikachu out of the way with one hand. A brace of needles stabbed into the ground where Pikachu had been, one needle impaling itself in the soft flesh of Ash's arm.

_Ash! _Pikachu screeched when he saw what had happened.

_Pikachu, get going! _Ash shouted. His new reservoir of adrenaline allowed him to get his shaky feet. It allowed him to duck behind the tree. It allowed him to grit his teeth, and as his poisonous pokémon parent had taught him, the adrenaline enabled him to grab the poisoned needle and **push **it through his arm before the poison had any more time to spread.

_No, _Pikachu said, joining Ash behind the tree. _I'll hold them off while you get out an antidote-_

_No need, _Ash hissed through gritted teeth, clutching his arm. Hot blood began to seep through his fingers as the boy applied pressure to the wound. _I didn't let it sit and I don't think that they're strong enough to poison me with a single stinger. _

Ash looked around, trying to see if the poison-type attacker had gotten a new angle on him. He then threw a quick glance out into the clearing to see how the others were doing.

Charmander and the Squirtle Squad were driving off the remaining vines, while Pidgeotto was harrying the beedrill. Squirtle, separated from his squad, was blasting the cubone with Water Gun attacks, sending the ground type staggering back. Bulbasaur had the mightyena backpedaling, occupying the shadowy blade extended from its mouth with Razor Leaf attacks, while whipping at its sides with his vines.

Ash could see that, while they didn't need any assistance, they wouldn't be able to help him either. He looked down at Pikachu, who was panting, trembling, and lathered in sweat, dirtied and bruised.

_Pikachu, if I told you to run away right now, you'd just call me an idiot, right? _Ash sighed.

_You're finally getting it, _Pikachu replied through his panting, a small smile on his face.

_You still have a Thunderwave left in you? _Ash asked, scooping the small yellow pokémon up.

_I think so, _Pikachu replied. _That's going to be our plan?_

_Well, there's two of them if I counted correctly, _Ash said, while slipping around the tree. _So what we're going to-_

Once again Ash caught a glint out of the corner of his eye and he ducked. The Poison Sting attack thudded into the tree behind him. He stumbled forward. Another brace of needles embedded themselves into the ground by his feet.

Ash immediately started moving perpendicular to his previous course, hoping to find some way to avoid the second attacker. More Poison Sting attacks flew around him, but Ash ducked and dodged, Pikachu in his arms. Ash's back, which had been neglected, ignored, and abused in significant amounts throughout the night, protested each movement with a jolt of pain.

Ash struggled to think of a plan, a way to deal with the poisonous attackers on either side of him, but between the smoke invading his lungs, the pain jolting and bounding through is body, and the exhaustion that weighed down on every part of him-

"Hey!" A familiar voice cut across the clearing. "I'm the one you want, right?! Well I'm over here! Come and get me!"

Ash looked towards the source of the voice. Aoba, looking a little worse for the wear, stood on the edge of the clearing.

_No! _Ash shouted, not realizing that the man wouldn't be able to understand him.

_Why are all humans so stupid! _Bulbasaur exclaimed, loud enough to be heard of the roar of fire and the din of battle.

But, at the same time Bulbasaur's vines snaked up to the side and picked up a nearby rock. He hurled it at the mightyena, who had been momentarily distracted by Aoba's appearance. The dark-type yelped and the shadowy blade vanished from its mouth, dissipating into wisps of darkness.

Bulbasaur's vines wrapped around the canine-like pokémon's head and upper body. They lifted the mightyena into the air and then they came down. The Rocket pokémon was slammed into the ground, picked up, and then slammed again. Bulbasaur then threw the limp pokémon into the air, before firing off another brace of Razor Leaves.

It happened too fast for Ash to look away. Aoba had just appeared and then the mightyena was letting out horrible cries as it was slashed to pieces in midair.

Ash's eyes closed; he fell to his knees. His stomach lurched and Ash couldn't fight it. It was too much. The entire night was too much. Ash couldn't take it/Ash knew he had to keep going.

_Ash! _Pikachu cried out from within the boy's arms. _Move! Please move! Get to cover now!_

Ash forced himself to stumble forward, tensing in anticipation of the Poison Sting attacks that were surely coming.

But none came.

The boy looked around, caught between sweat relief and sheer terror. No deadly needles flying at him. No hints of purple by firelight.

But there was movement in the trees, glimpses of dark shapes moving in Aoba's direction. The former biochemist saw it as well. The man turned and ran back into the trees and the dark shapes followed.

_Just what we needed, _Bulbasaur snarled, before taking off after them.

_No! _Ash watched as the man, the man he was supposed to be protecting, get hounded and hunted into the fiery night woods.

Ash wouldn't let them catch Aoba. Ash **couldn't **let them catch Aoba.

His limbs weren't responding fast enough. His body was soaked in a bone deep weariness that he had never felt before. His head was stuffed with cotton. He had begun to grow numb to all the pain that he had been through that night. He could no longer breathe without coughing.

Ash didn't care.

Something inside of him changed, or maybe broke, or maybe something inside of him was always meant to break. The boy's limbs steadied, his mind cleared, and the weariness vanished.

Ash took off after Aoba, Pikachu clutched in his arms, running faster than he had ever run before.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank laurwest and blackcatspecialist for beta reading this chapter.

I'd also like to thank everyone who left a review or comment. I appreciate them all, even if I don't respond.

Got some thoughts on this arc, but I think I'll save them for the next chapter.

I hope everyone's staying safe.

Don't forget to comment or review! :AN


	31. Chapter 31

Dave moved through the forest, Pointers, his nidorino, and Ariados leading the way. Toji followed close behind. Their target fled ahead of them deeper into the forest, running parallel to the growing fire that had started to consume the woods.

"Damnit!" Dave growled as a branch whipped at his face, drawing a thin red line. Nothing had gone right for him this night, the man from Team Rocket groused internally. Plans A and B had failed, and then the direct assault, the tactic that he had been trying to avoid, had stalled out as well.

However, Dave could at least console himself with the fact that he had not yet failed. The primary target had not yet escaped.

Dave risked a quarter of a second to glance at Toji. The purple-haired man's expression was stoic, but Dave thought he saw a red lining around the man's eyes. Dave knew that he would have to console his subordinate later; Toji had raised Biters the poochyena and later mightyena from an egg. Dave's friend was devastated at Biters' death.

Their quarry was fast despite being wounded, but Dave knew that adrenaline could do amazing things. But adrenaline was fleeting and as long as they kept pace, their quarry would flag and then they would have him.

The small radio on Dave's belt buzzed. Without looking down or breaking stride, Dave grabbed it and brought it to his face.

"Status?" He asked.

"Not good," was Anne's reply through the device. "Most of our pokemon are down now. Do we engage them hand to hand or do we disengage?"

Hand to hand combat with the enemy's pokemon would result in at least one human death and that was assuming that there were enough pokemon from Team Rocket left to assist their humans. But if Dave didn't give that order, then the pokemon from the village could secure the primary target.

"Distract them as long as you can and then withdraw," Dave told her. "Do your best to stay safe."

"I think we're in the wrong profession for that boss," Anne replied. "Good luck. Over and out."

"Good luck yourself," Dave said before putting the radio away.

The chase continued, the terrain sloping downward into a sparsely wooded hill. Dave and Toji reduced their pace so as not to stumble. Their target did not and his speed betrayed him. He tripped and began to tumble and roll down the hill, stray branches and fallen leaves flying.

He came to a stop in a ditch at the bottom, slowly picking himself up. Dave, Toji, Pointers, and Ariados were on him before he could manage.

Following their training, Ariados and Pointers moved in sync. The bug-type wove a silk net with String Shot and hurled it at the target. Pointers fired off Poison Sting attacks to either side of the target, hemming him in.

The target shouted in surprise as he was engulfed by the sticky net. And then, while he was immobilized, the two pokemon opened up with more Poison Sting attacks. The shout turned into an agonized scream as needles embedded themselves in the man's flesh.

He went down. Dave and Toji moved closer to see if he was dead. Dave drew a combat knife as he approached.

The leader from Team Rocket was calm as he approached his quarry. Despite all the trouble and sacrifices they had made to get this far Dave kept his emotions on a tight leash. He couldn't afford to slip up now. His family was counting on him.

He was so intent on his target that he almost didn't hear the commotion behind him. Dead leaves crunched as feet slammed into the ground. Dave turned the bulbasaur from the village followed by the trainer carrying his pikachu.

"Thunderwave!" The boy shouted and the electric rodent complied. Rings of electric power flew through the air and earthed themselves in Ariados. The bug-type froze, limbs locking in place, surrounded by sparks, and then tipped over, falling on its side. It rocked there for a few moments before it was still.

"Poison Sting!" Dave shouted. Beside him Toji drew his own knife, holding it in one hand, his combat baton in the other. He charged under the cover of Pointers's attack.

The boy holding the pikachu jumped to the side to avoid the deadly needles, but the bulbasaur stood where it was. Vines lashed out and grabbed a fallen log that had been hidden under the autumn leaves. It held it up in front of itself and the Poison Sting attack thudded harmlessly into the dead wood before the bulbasaur threw it to the side.

Razor Leaves flew from under the grass-type's bulb and Toji, who had tried to take advantage of the moment when the new arrivals would be diving for cover, didn't react in time.

Human blood, dark and red by the firelight, spurted from his neck.

Toji made a gurgling noise as he clutched at his throat, fingers grasping in a desperate futile attempt to staunch the flow of crimson liquid. His baton and knife fell to the ground at his sides and then the purple haired man collapsed.

"Toji" Dave cried out as he watched his friend fall, his control cracking, his grief and terror slipping into his voice. He dropped his own knife and rushed over to tend to his friend.

Pointers let out his own cry and charged the bulbasaur who snarled in answer. Dave paid their battle no mind. He cradled his fallen friend in one arm, his other arm reaching for a pouch on his belt that would have a basic first aid kit.

Toji's hand, the one not clutching his throat, grabbed that arm, and Dave forgot the kit. Dave looked into the dying man's eyes, his friend's eyes. Toji tried to say something, but all that came out was a wet murmur.

Dave held the man's hand as the light left his eyes.

Dave reverently lowered the corpse to the ground. He closed the unseeing eyes and stood up. He felt moisture on his own face. Dave ducked into the crook of his arm and rubbed his eyes.

"You," a human voice said and Dave looked up to see the trainer. The child was shorter than Dave had thought; he came up to the bottom of Dave's chest. His features as well, they looked younger than Dave had thought they would. The boy was covered in dirt, bruises, and spots of blood. He wasn't holding his pikachu anymore.

"You, you know," the boy continued, voice odd. Dave met his eyes. Something strange was happening there. "You know what it feels like."

A light was shining in the boy's eyes. And not the orange glow of the fire or the silver-white shine of the moon and stars.

"You know what it feels like to lose someone," the boy said. "You know how it hurts."

"Yes," Dave replied slowly, emotion hitching on the edge of his voice, looking for his fallen knife out of the corner of his eye. "I've lost people before. This isn't my first fight."

"Then do you know what it's like to be hunted?" The boy's voice grew deeper. "Do you know how much fear can hurt?"

"Of course, I know," Dave replied with a small laugh. He saw the steel blade on the forest floor. "Team Rocket's hunted everywhere in Kanto."

"You know what it's like," the boy went on. The light in his eyes grew in intensity. Dave could see that it was blue. "To be hunted. To lose someone. Then WHY DID YOU DO IT TO HIM!"

Dave found the light in the boy's eyes to be more terrible than the light of the burning forest behind him. He didn't understand what was going on with the boy and he didn't want to give the boy a chance to show him.

He ducked, snatched the knife off of the ground, and then charged the boy. He brought the knife down in an overhead stab, expecting to easily power through any attempt at defense from the child.

An iron vise-like grip locked around his arm and stopped the motion. The rest of the boy hadn't moved. He still stared into Dave's eyes with those terrible radiant eyes.

"You knew how much it would hurt him to take Ted!" The boy growled, his voice low and accompanied by hints of a strange reverberation.

"I wasn't trying to kill him," Dave protested as he attempted to wrench his arm free. "His lover was an accident."

"And you didn't think that would hurt his lover!" The boy's grip tightened and the knife fell from Dave's nerveless fingers. "What did he ever do to you? What did either of them ever do to you!?"

"Nothing," Dave gasped. "I was just following orders…."

"WHY!?"

"Because I trust my commanders," Dave went on, his mouth running on honesty while he tried to pry the boy's fingers off of his arm. "If they decided that he had to die, then I trust them."

"What did he do to them then!? What did he do!?" The boy yanked on the arm, squeezing even harder and Dave fell to his knees before him. The boy, once so short, now towered over the man.

"I don't know if he even did anything to them," Dave groaned. He thought he felt something snap in his wrist. "He might have just been in the way."

The blow was inelegant, untrained. It should have sprained the boy's wrist; it should have hurt the boy far more than it hurt Dave. It should not have had the power to snap the bones in Dave's shoulders. And yet it did.

"IN THE WAY!" The boy was shouting again, his voice reaching through the fog of pain Dave found himself in. "You hurt him, you hunted him, you killed his lover, just because he might be in the way!"

The boy released his hold on Dave's arms and grabbed the front of his shirt, hoisting the man until their eyes were level.

"You know how it hurts, but you hurt him for such a stupid reason!" The boy was snarling. "WHY!?"

Dave tried to punch him with his working hand, fist slamming into the boy's face. There was a loud crack as delicate bones broke and Dave hissed in pain.

The boy growled wordlessly and threw Dave to the side. The man from Team Rocket flew into a tree, his skull slamming into hard bark.

Dave slumped to the ground and then clutched his head as painful throbs began. He felt like he was going to be sick.

He looked up and saw Pointers thrashing in midair, vines tightening around its throat. Dave tried to call out to it, tried to tell his pokemon how to save itself, but his mouth wouldn't move right. He couldn't get the words to form.

As his pokemon struggled, the bulbasaur turned to look at Dave. Before the wounded man could think, he felt something hot and sharp pass across his neck.

His neck felt wet.

Everything was getting-

* * *

Ash rushed over to Aoba, paying no mind to Bulbasaur's battle or the fate of the Team Rocket commander.

The scientist lay on the ground covered in sticky silk, a cluster of needles in his shoulder and another right over his sternum. Too many for Ash to safely remove. He glanced over his shoulder, but remembered that he didn't have his backpack, with its antidotes and potions, with him. It lay somewhere by the former campsite, either destroyed or forgotten.

Ash turned back to Aoba and saw the purple tinge on his cheeks; a sign of poisoning.

He grabbed all the needles over Aoba's sternum, hoping that they hadn't embedded themselves into bone, and yanked. Aoba gave a silent cry of pain as the needles popped out, trailing drops of blood.

It wasn't enough, Ash knew. There was still the other cluster of needles and the poison itself. He needed an antidote! He needed something other than his bare hands!

Melanie, Ash thought, he needed to find Melanie. She would know what to do!

He stood up, ready to dash off to find the blue haired woman, and then the strange feeling vanished.

Ash had nearly fainted several times over the course of the night, but he never came as close as he did then. Nothing seemed to exist except for the emptiness inside of him and the sound of his own breathing.

Like the chill from the Shadow Ball attacks, the exhaustion Ash felt was not simply physical, though it wasn't like the earlier sensation either. If the chill was a feeling in one direction that Ash had never traveled before, the exhaustion was in yet another unfamiliar, untraveled direction without a direct relation to the first.

Eventually Ash was able to gather enough of himself to escape the limbo and he lifted his head from the forest floor. The orange light of the fire had grown even brighter and the smell of smoke had returned.

Aoba hadn't moved and Ash managed to drag himself over to the man; he was too weak to stand. Pikachu let out a small, tired noise, from where Ash had gently laid him down after the last Thunderwave attack. Ash glanced back at the electric type; Pikachu was safe. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash could see Bulbasaur holding a feebly twitching nidorino in his vines.

The pokeraised child turned back to Aoba. The man was still breathing. His eyes were open and, as Ash crouched on all fours beside the man, they focused on the boy's face.

"I'm sorry," Aoba said, his voice weedy and faint. "I shouldn't have run. I should've let them kill me. I should have killed myself before it came to this."

Ash didn't know what to say.

"If I had done that then Ted wouldn't have been killed," Aoba went on. "It was the least I could do to atone for what I did. But I was too much of a coward."

"What sins?" Ash managed to ask. "What did you do?"

"I didn't think it was anything wrong at first," Aoba said, weak hands reaching out. Ash extended one of his own and Aoba grasped it, his hands clasped around Ash's smaller hand as if in prayer.

"I looked into it before I joined the project," Aoba went on. "That's why I didn't think it could be connected to Team Rocket. The funding was all clean, even if it was a little secretive. I thought it was just another genetic experiment, like what I helped with at university."

"What project?" Ash asked, brows furrowing.

"The project on Cinnabar Island," Aoba told him, eyes wild. "I didn't understand how wrong it was! I didn't know! I didn't realize the blasphemy until I saw its eyes!"

"Blasph-whats?" Ash asked, but Aoba went on as if he hadn't heard the boy.

"I quit then, but it was too late, my part was done!" Aoba was nearly babbling now, panic bringing life to his dying voice. "I had already helped to create it! Running helped no one but me! I should have tried to stop the rest of the project!"

"What project? What did you make?"

"When I heard that the mansion had burned down, I knew then that I was dead," Aoba gasped. "I knew it was responsible! I should have never gotten close to Ted. I should have never run! Then Ted would be alive, Melanie and you would be safe! I don't know how Team Rocket is connected, but I should've known danger would find me!"

"What danger?" Ash asked glancing away from the man's face to look at the wound on his chest and the needles in his shoulder. Blood was seeping from Aoba's sternum and Ash wished that he could bandage it. Ash turned his eyes back to Aoba's.

"I'm so sorry," Aoba's eyes weren't looking at Ash anymore. The fingers around Ash's hand began to loosen and the man's voice was growing quieter. "I unleashed it into the world. I'm so sorry Ted. It was all my fault. I should have destroyed it."

"No," Aoba gasped. "I should have **saved **it from there. It will break the world and it's my fault…."

"What will break the world?" Ash leaned closer, trying to hear the man.

"I'm so sorry everyone," Aoba's fading voice rasped. "I'm sorry Melanie. I'm sorry Aaron. I'm so sorry Ted, so so sorry. And I'm sorry….. Mew…Two."

* * *

The air around them changed, or at least Ash thought that it had. And then Ash felt a familiar sensation in the recesses of his mind, the faint sensation of psychic energy.

Panic gave Ash just enough energy to snap his head up and look around, searching for the psychic-type that must have arrived. But he couldn't see anything.

The boy grappled with the sensation in his head, trying to find some trace that would lead to the source. But then Ash realized that the air around him hadn't changed. He was simply surrounded by raw psychic energy.

Pocket Watch was the most powerful psychic that Ash knew. And whenever Ash had sensed his raw energy it had always seemed to be a single point, like a tiny candle; the volume of raw energy had almost never been enough to cover a patch of Ash's skin, let alone surround a part of him.

And this new psychic energy seemed to blanket the entire hill. It was a volcano to Pocket Watch's candleflame, sunlight to Pocket Watch's penlight.

It was like having one's attention focused on some task that lay on the ground on a sunny day, only to have a large shadow fall over the land. And then when one looked back, thinking that a cloud had crossed the sun, they saw a mountainous giant standing behind them instead.

Ash trembled as he realized the sheer scope of the psychic energy around him, the terrifying glimpse at the oceans of raw power, noticing the sheer scale of the presence behind the energy.

The presence behind the energy had noticed him in return. It was as if the moon had transformed above him to reveal a giant eye in the sky and then the eye had looked straight at him. Ash's entire mind, body, and soul was naked before it; he couldn't hide, he couldn't think, he couldn't do anything.

Ash thought that the presence gave an impression of slumber while still being aware. It was cold and uncaring, or so it seemed at first. But as it filtered through every crevice of the thing that was Ash, the boy could feel the thing's anger, burning brighter than the sun itself. And he felt the presence's pain, hidden at its edges, raw and open, a continent spanning crack in the earth spewing hot magma.

It passed over him, through him, in an instant and then the presence coalesced around Aoba. The dying man let out a feeble groan of pain and terror as it swept through him as well. His mouth opened in a silent scream and Ash trembled beside him.

The presence vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

Ash was left there in the forest, shaking on the ground next to a man who was almost dead. The child curled in on himself, resting in a fetal position, breathing hard and fast. He tried not to think of that thing, tried not to think of MewTwo-

* * *

Ash screamed in complete and absolute terror for the first time in his life when he felt the presence return.

Once again, he couldn't run, he couldn't hide. In the face of the presence, Ash was alone; naked in the dark before a thing deeper than the oceans, vaster than the mountains, burning brighter than the daystar. Alone and defenseless as its attention was once again turned on him.

Ash wanted to weep as he felt it once again on the edges of his mind, but he couldn't even do that as he waited for it to sweep through him again.

But the presence didn't. Ash felt psychic energy gently gather at the edges of his being, a soothing touch. His terror began to fade and Ash could feel that the presence had somehow changed.

It was somehow warped, as if Ash were perceiving through some sort of filter or perhaps a great gulf of space and time now stood between him and it. And the anger was gone and so was the coldness. The pain remained, but it was no longer raw. It was faded and old, partially healed and partially scarred over.

It was enough to make Ash whimper in relief. The psychic energy soothed him and the boy relaxed-

* * *

Ash shook his head.

What had happened?

Aoba had been talking and then something had happened, but what had it been?

Ash looked at Aoba, who was resting on the forest floor. Dots of blood stained the man's shirt around his sternum, but when Ash looked at the wound it didn't seem as bad as the boy had remembered it being. The needles must not have penetrated very far, Ash guessed.

Ash then looked over at the man's shoulder where he thought there had been more poisoned needles and found nothing. Ash gently shook his head, figuring that he must have been imagining things.

The man's face was pale, but there was no sign of purple on his skin. Ash chocked that up to his overactive imagination as well.

The boy slowly stood up, surprised at how easy the motion was. Ash thought that he had been more tired than currently felt, but he might have just needed to catch his breath. Or his mind might have been playing tricks on him. After all, it had been a very stressful night.

He stood up and turned around to see Bulbsaur approaching him; there was no sign of the nidorino. Ash closed his eyes and let himself silently grieve for the poison type.

_How bad is it? _Bulbasaur asked and Ash opened his eyes.

_He seems fine, _Ash said, indicating Aoba with a gentle backwards nod of his head. _I think he might have fainted after getting hit with a Poison Sting attack. _

_He's a wimp, _Bulbasaur stated, rolling his eyes. _Did you get hurt?_

_No, I'm fine, _Ash stated, entirely truthful. His back didn't even hurt as much anymore.

_Good. What's our next move? _Bulbasaur asked.

_Uuuhhhhhh…. _Ash looked around. The smoke was starting to make its way down the hill as the forest fire grew larger. Now that Ash was no longer in immediate danger of being murdered by a criminal/terrorist organization he had time to realize that he was in immediate danger of burning to death in a raging inferno.

_We need to deal with this fire and fast! _Ash said. _Or we need to get somewhere safe!_ He looked back at Aoba, lying helpless on the ground. _Bulbasaur, you stay here and guard Aoba. I'll go back to camp and get the others. _

_No! _Bulbasaur protested. _I need to go find Melanie and make sure that she's safe! _

_We don't even know where to begin looking! _Ash pointed out. _The only one who might know where she is, is Aoba! And Team Rocket is currently trying to murder him! Stay here, keep him safe, and I'll get the rest of the pokemon! We can start searching for Melanie once they're safe too!_

_You- I- Gah! You can be as obnoxious as Squirtle, you know that!? _Bulbasaur snarled. _Fine, I'll keep Aoba safe, until he can tell me where Melanie is._

_Melanie would want you to keep him safe even after that, _Ash pointed out, jogging over to pick up Pikachu who was still lying exhausted on the ground.

_And the only reason I'm agreeing to guard him is 'cause he'd want me to keep her safe instead, _Bulbasaur shot back. _So, you might want to hurry up before I have to decide which human to listen to._

* * *

Ash was able to make it back to the clearing where their campsite had been in fairly good time. He had needed to wrap his jacket around his face as an improvised smoke mask, but the fire's main spread had been in the other direction, so the path hadn't been closed.

When he reached camp, he found three human corpses waiting for him. The bodies lay on the ground, sprawled in unnatural positions, dripping wet, covered in cuts and burns. The bloody pieces of the mightyena lay next to them, and the shattered exoskeleton of the bedrill lay next to that.

Ash closed his eyes and hoped that their passing had been quick and painless.

He opened them again and scanned the burning clearing. There was no sign of the rest of the pokemon from Team Rocket, leading Ash to conclude they had either retreated or scattered into the wilds. He hoped that they would be safe from the fire.

The Squirtle Squad had gathered the pokemon from the village in a pile in the center of the clearing, standing around the unconscious pokemon and putting out the nearby fires. Charmander and Pidgeotto watched from nearby, resting on the ground.

_Has anyone seen Melanie! _Ash called out, moving to join the Squirtle Squad, Pikachu in his arms.

_No! _Squirtle called back, looking around as if the blue haired woman might suddenly pop up and say hello.

_And where's Tauros? _Ash asked, reaching the squad.

_I haven't seen her since I got snatched, _Squirtle replied.

_I hope she's with Melanie, _another squirtle said, looking around at the harsh blaze. The squad had extinguished all the flames in the immediate vicinity of the clearing, but the flames were continuing to spread elsewhere.

_We've got to do something about this, _Ash said. _Melanie, the local pokemon, and who knows who else, might be in danger because of this!_

_Way ahead of you, _Squirtle smirked. _We've got a plan to deal with this. We just wanted to make sure that we wouldn't get interrupted first. _

_You do? _Ash said.

_This isn't our first forest fire, _Squirtle said. He put his forepaws on the sides of his shell and turned to address his squad. _Look alive, pokemon! It's time to have another dance off!_

_Ha! I was wondering when we'd get around to it! _One of the squirtles shouted back.

_Finally! All this smoke is getting annoying! _Another called out.

The squad formed a circle in the center of the clearing, Ash and the other pokemon in the center.

_Can someone provide a beat? _Squirtle shouted. _And Charmander, get under something! _

_I can provide a beat, _Ash said, sitting down cross legged and putting Pikachu in his lap. He then began to clap his hands together in a steady rhythm.

_Thanks Ash! _Squirtle said, looking over his shoulder at the boy. _Just speed it up a little and we can begin. _

Ash complied and Squirtle turned back to his squad.

_Squirtle Squad, Rain Dance! _At their leader's command, the squad looked skywards and began to move in harmony with each other and with the sound of Ash's clapping. They swayed and jumped to the side, rotating the squad around the person and pokemon in their center. They constantly looked skywards as they moved.

Ash looked up as well. The night sky had been clear when the evening had begun. It had been choked by smoke after the fires started. And now Ash could see small wisps of clouds gathering in the sky directly above them.

The wisps streamed together, swirling into one cloud, which rotated above the dancing squirtles. It continued to grow and spin in time with their movements, switching direction when they switched direction.

Ash felt the air pressure change and a cool breeze blew through the clearing. The squirtles began to glow with a blue light that grew in intensity the more they danced.

Acting on instinct, Ash upped the tempo of his clapping. The dance grew faster, the cloud grew larger and the light grew brighter. And then, when the dancing and the clapping reached a fever pitch, Ash felt something wet land on his head.

A gentle rain began to fall and the fires hissed. Ash looked around at the rain, a smile on his lips as he viewed their salvation, and he almost quit clapping.

_We're not done yet! _Squirtle shouted when Ash's rhythm began to falter. _Come on people, the party's just begun! Faster and harder!_

Ash grinned and complied with the command. The ring of squirtles erupted into a frenzy of movement and the rain began to fall faster.

Steam replaced smoke and the constant hiss of water on fire grew so loud that Ash could barely hear his own clapping. It didn't seem to matter, the Squirtle Squad didn't need a beat anymore. Ash could no longer make out their features through the blue glow that surrounded them.

The blue light shot heavenwards and the gentle rain became a downpour. White clouds of steam rose from the flaming trees and some of the smaller fires were outright extinguished. Ash looked up and laughed, catching rainwater in his mouth.

The squirtles fell onto the suddenly muddy ground, giggling as they did so. Charmander looked on in fear and awe from under an unburnt tree, Pidgeotto providing him extra cover with one of her wings.

The rain continued after the Squirtle Squad quit dancing. The flames continued to burn, but Ash knew that their spread had been effectively halted; everything that wasn't already on fire would become too wet to burn.

_You did it! _Ash cried out, grinning and laughing, holding Pikachu in his arms and standing up to get off the muddy ground. _You stopped the fire!_

_Maybe I forgot to mention it, _Squirtle said looking up from where he had fallen on the muddy ground. _But the Squirtle Squad is awesome!_

_I'll say! _Ash agreed, grin growing broader as he surveyed the rain.

And then his expression fell.

_We don't have tents anymore, _Ash groaned. _We're going to have to sleep in this. Oh, and we still have to find Melanie. _Ash buried his face in his free hand. _And now she's in danger of getting sick._

_So are you, _Pikachu pointed out, opening one tired eye to look at his trainer. _You should probably find some shelter and let us look for Melanie. _

Ash looked at the collapsed Squirtle Squad, the unconscious pokemon from the village, Charmander huddled beneath the tree, and then at Pikachu in his arms. He raised one eyebrow in a silent question for Pikachu.

_Good point, _Pikachu sighed. _Well, at least Pidgeotto can help you. _

Ash sighed. His night wasn't over yet.

* * *

Ash tended to Butterfree before he did anything else. The boy was able to retrieve his backpack, which had been spared any major damage in the night's chaos. He then released Butterfree from his pokeball long enough to apply a super-potion to the injury, before recalling the bug type.

After that, an exhausted Ash accompanied Pidgeotto through the dark, rain-soaked forest. First the pokeraised child had to go retrieve Bulbasaur and Aoba. And then, after helping move the unconscious man back to camp, Ash had to set out again to find Melanie.

Ash and Pidgeotto went to and fro around the clearing, the child splashing through the newly formed mud and puddles. By the time the two finally stumbled over the blue haired woman and Tauros, Ash had been soaked to the bone and was shivering.

Ash had to wait, huddled with the unconscious blue haired woman under Tauros, while Pidgeotto flew back to camp to retrieve Bulbasaur, who's vines were needed to keep the wounded woman on Tauros.

Only after Bulbasaur arrived and they got Melanie back to camp, only then did Ash let himself think about sleep. And then he groaned as he remembered his earlier realization about the group's lack of tents.

Ash didn't whimper, but it was a near thing.

The boy was able to salvage one and a half sleeping bags from the burnt wreckage that used to be their tents. He then looked at the two unconscious adults and groaned.

With Bulbasaur's aid Ash was able to get the two in or under the sleeping bags and then squished the two adults together under a tree to try and keep them warm.

_What now? _Ash groaned. The various pokemon from the village had been arranged in a pile on the other side of the tree, also sheltered beneath the branches for warmth. Ash didn't envy the headache they'd have in the morning.

Ash didn't envy the headache he'd have in the morning.

_Now, we deal with you, _Pikachu said, voice thick with sleep. _Come on, I got it all ready. _

The electric type led Ash to a tree right next to the one where Aoba, Melanie, and the pokemon from the village were recovering. Charmander was curled up in a little ball, tail extended into a small pile of sticks which had caught alit and was now a merry little fire. A pile of leaves and pine needles was stacked nearby, dried by the small fire.

_Thanks Pikachu, _Ash said with a tired grin.

_You're welcome, _Pikachu stated. _Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, get over here! Time for bed!_

Ash lay on the ground, thoroughly exhausted from the night's events. His pokemon and Bulbasaur covered him in a blanket of leaves and pine needles. Pikachu curled up on the boy's chest, Pidgeotto draped herself over the boy's knees, and Bulbasaur let him use his bulb as a pillow.

Feeling safe once more, Ash drifted off to sleep.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank laurwest and BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading this chapter.

And I'd like to thank everyone who left a review or comment.

Moving on, some people have commented on the pacing of this arc, which is actually a bit of a complex topic. How much of the issue with the pacing was with word count and how much of it was an issue with the weekly releases? Or, to put it another way, will readers who binge this story/arc still think that there's pacing issues?

This is also a bit of an issue with the format of fanfiction and online stories in general. Stories that would be split up into multiple books if they were published are squished into a single story. Honestly, if this was a book series, this arc would be the second volume all to itself.

It is also true that this arc is longer than it's equivalent in Symbiosis and longer than I had planned. I had thought this would be about 60k-75k words, instead of the around 90k it's ended up as. But I had underestimated how much work it would be setting up the character dynamics that Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander would have with each other, the dynamics they would have with Ash, the dynamic that Bulbasaur would have with Melanie, and how those would all change over the course of the trip.

Anyway, that's enough of my rambling.

One more thing, I won't be releasing a chapter for the following two weeks, both to take a bit of a break and refill my backlog. You can expect the next chapter to be released on the 17th of June.

I hope everyone is staying safe!

And don't forget to leave a review/comment!


	32. Chapter 32

"Aaron," a gentle voice sounded in Ash's ear. He groaned, clenched at his sleeping bag, and pulled it tighter.

Except there was no sleeping bag. His fist clenched around leaves and needles which jabbed into his palms.

The discomfort and the knowledge that something wasn't right made Ash groan again. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up.

_Hey! _Pikachu protested as he slid off of Ash's chest. Leaves and needles fell to either side of the boy as he rose from his makeshift bed.

_What happened? _Ash moaned, holding his head with one hand. It had started to throb as soon as he sat up.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" The gentle voice asked again.

_What happened? _Ash asked again, before looking around. That was a mistake according to his back. The boy hissed and seized up in sudden pain.

"Lay back down Aaron," the voice spoke again and Ash saw that the voice belonged to Melanie. The blue haired woman gently lowered him back into his makeshift bed.

_Are- _"Are you okay?" Ash said, remembering to speak like a human.

"I'm fine," Melanie said. Half of her head was covered in bandages, her face was covered in dirt, and there were large bags under her eyes. Despite that, she was able to smile beatifically down at the boy and Ash had no doubts that she was fine. "I'll have a lump, but there was no serious damage."

"It's you I'm worried about," the blue haired woman went on. "I would have let you sleep longer, but I'm concerned that we will need to work on your back again."

Ash groaned.

"Do you know any language other than Sinnohese?" Melanie asked, looking over the boy. "I couldn't tell if that was aphasia or if I was just unfamiliar with the language."

"It's another language," Ash told her closing his eyes. "What's aphasia?"

"It's the medical term for when someone cannot communicate verbally," Melanie explained. "And please keep your eyes open. You can go back to sleep after I've examined your back."

Ash groaned again.

"Bulbasaur, if you could please help me," Melanie requested.

The grass-type and the blue haired woman gently flipped Ash over on his stomach and removed his dirty, blood-soaked shirt and jacket.

"That was my last one," Ash moaned when he saw the state of his jacket.

"I'll buy you a new one," Melanie said from behind him.

"No, you don't-"

"But I'm going to," Melanie said, shutting him up. There was a moment of silence. Ash guessed that she was looking over his back.

"How bad is it?" Ash asked, wincing in anticipation.

"Well, it's better than I feared, worse than I hoped." Melanie informed him. "You tore a section of your stiches out, but the majority are fine."

"So, you don't need to replace them?" Ash asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry Aaron, but I do," Melanie sighed. "And I have to clean the wound again."

"Noooo," Ash whined, eyes squeezing closed again. "What about Aoba? Is he alright? He might need stiches instead! You should deal with him first!"

"Two things, Aaron. First, I have enough disinfectant and stiches for the both of you." Melanie told Ash. The boy groaned. "Second, I already examined Aoba. Other than the minor lacerations on his chest, he's healthy."

"Ugh," Ash groaned, letting his head and shoulders go limp. "I guess it's good that he's fine."

There was an explosion of giggles from behind Ash. The pokéraised child almost glanced back at her. He didn't get what was so funny.

"I'm sorry," Melanie said, though she was still giggling. "You're a very brave and mature young man, but sometimes you can still be a child."

_I know, right? _Bulbasaur added. Ash could hear the smile in the grass type's voice.

Ash pouted the woman giggled. He still didn't get what was so funny.

"I'll clean everything now," Melanie went on when the giggles finally subsided. "And then I'll let you take a nap and try to replace the stiches while you're sleeping."

"Won't that wake me up?"

"It depends on how hard you're sleeping," Melanie informed the boy. "I'm not going to lie to you, it will probably wake you up."

"Fine," Ash groaned. He was not looking forward to the rest of the morning.

* * *

Ash did not enjoy the rest of his morning. Getting his wound cleaned again hadn't been as bad as the first cleaning, but it still stung. And then Ash couldn't go back to sleep, because he knew that Melanie would stab him with needles soon after he did.

In the end he gave up on sleep. He just let Melanie replace the stiches while he ground his teeth together and tried not to cry.

"Sshhh, you've been a brave boy, such a brave young man," Melanie cooed as she finished up the last stitch. "You did a good job. It's over now, so just lie still for a bit and I'll get you some water."

"I don't want to do this again," Ash moaned.

_Then quit doing dangerous things, _Pikachu yawned from his spot next to his trainer. _You're the one who wanted to get involved, remember? _

_ Can't I do this without getting stitches? _Ash whined.

_That's a great idea! _Pikachu exclaimed, pounding one curled paw into the palm of the other. _Why didn't you think of it before hitting a Vine Whip with your back? _

Ash groaned and then Melanie was back with the water.

_Tha-_"Thanks," Ash said as she lowered the canteen to his lips.

"You're welcome," Melanie replied while he drank. "What language is that? I don't think I've heard it before?"

Ash nearly choked on the water.

"You need to drink more carefully," Melanie scolded the boy as he coughed. "I don't know where there's another source of clean water that didn't come out of a pokémon's mouth."

"What's wrong with water from a pokémon?" Ash asked, voice hoarse.

"It's clean, but the mineral content is unusual and it makes the water taste awful," Melanie explained. "I only use it for cleaning."

Ash almost shrugged, but caught himself in time. He could not wait until his back was better and he didn't have to worry about moving it wrong.

* * *

Ash lay there for another hour until Melanie announced that it was time for lunch. Aoba had woken up in the meantime and the two adult humans helped Ash get back to his feet. Ash got another new shirt (no third spare jacket though) and then joined them for lunch.

Melanie and Charmander had gotten a small fire going. When she saw Ash's concerned look, she explained, "We didn't move after last night, so if Team Rocket is still out there, they already know where we are. And I think we all need a hot meal after last night."

Ash thought there were some holes in her logic, but his stomach growled at the prospect of eating something other than protein bars and dried cuts of meat. He decided to go along with it. He and Aoba helped cut some gathered plants and dried vegetables for the stew that Melanie was preparing.

Working alongside Aoba Ash noticed that something seemed different about the man. His movements were brisker and for a brief moment he hummed while he worked.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, looking at the man out of the corner of his eye.

Aoba paused for a moment, looking down at the root vegetable he was cutting.

"No," he said finally. "But for some reason I'm feeling…. lighter, for lack of a better term."

"Do you…. do you not miss Ted any longer?" Ash asked cautiously, wondering if the scientist had hit his head.

"No, I still do," Aoba shook his head. "It's something else. I feel like I've been forgiven for something."

"What did you do that needs forgiving?" Ash asked, returning his eyes to the roots he was preparing.

"I can think of a few things," Aoba replied and Ash could hear the wry smile in the man's voice. "But I can't put my finger on what exactly's changed."

"Well, maybe it's because you're safer now?" Ash shrugged. "Or maybe the hole in your side was making you sick and you're better now?"

"Maybe," Aoba replied. "Whatever the reason is, I'm feeling so much better today."

* * *

The stew was the best thing that Ash had eaten in what seemed like a very long time.

Or maybe it was simply that anything other than the horrible protein energy bars would taste good to Ash in that moment, because Ash was reasonably certain that he wouldn't normally like such a bitter dish. Or maybe it was simply that he found himself ravenous after the events of the previous night and his appetite had whipped into a further frenzy by the smell of food cooking.

Whatever it was, when Melanie suggested that the group should rest for the remainder of the day, Ash was too full to find it in himself to protest. He checked up on Butterfree, who was almost completely healed from the night's events, and then decided to take a nap. He accepted Aoba's slightly charred sleeping bag and then curled up with Pikachu, underneath the same tree that he had used last night.

His eyes closed and he quickly drifted off into a gentle dreamless sleep.

* * *

It took them three days to reach the Yin-Li memorial Pokemon Center.

Melanie had wanted to go slow and take four days, but Ash and Bulbasaur insisted that they move faster. Melanie relented when Aoba informed her that he was feeling well enough to hike and that they could put Aaron on Tauros in his place.

Ash wasn't thrilled with the arrangement; he felt that his back was doing well enough that he could just walk the whole way. But he gave in so that they could reach the pokémon center sooner.

The Yin-Li Memorial Pokemon center was situated in a hollow at the bottom of a large hill in the forest. A large creek flowed over a ledge nearby, creating a pool of water next to the center, the surface covered in fallen leaves that gently flowed towards the point where the creek continued from the pool. There was a large dirt path that led away from the pokémon center and towards the larger roads that connected the human cities together.

The ragtag group stumbled inside the center, completely filling the lobby, and startling the nurse on duty.

"Are all these pokémon yours?" the nurse asked, looking at the large group of pokémon tracking dirt all over the lobby.

"No-"Melanie began.

_Yes, _Bulbasaur interrupted.

"Yes," Ash said.

"They're not mine, I'm just the one looking after them," Melanie said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, that means they're your pokémon," the nurse said, getting out a clipboard. "And you're their human. Now what can we help you with today?"

Melanie explained their situation to the on-duty nurse, which set things in motion, like a single falling pebble starts a rockslide.

Ash and Aoba found themselves whisked away to a small, sparse room, forced into hospital gowns, and given several examinations before being confined to hospital beds.

"This sucks," Ash pouted, crossing his arms. "I'm not sick!"

"They're just being cautious," Aoba reassured the boy from his own bed. "They're worried about slow acting poisons and infections. They'll let us up in a day or two."

While Ash and Aoba were confined to bed rest, Melanie arranged for each and every pokémon to be given a full physical, much to Bulbasaur's displeasure.

_If something was hurting, I'd tell her! _The grass-type groused to Ash later that night. _I don't need some humans hovering over me! Worrywarts are the worst!_

_Wait, I thought you were always hovering over Melanie? _Ash asked. _I know she mentioned that to me? _

_That's 'cause you humans can get hurt so easily! _Bulbasaur protested. _And she keeps neglecting herself, she hides it when she's hurt, and she keeps doing dangerous things-_

_You try to hide it when you get hurt all the time, _Squirtle said, wearing a new pair of sunglasses and snacking on a handful of pokéchow.

_That's always been little stuff! _Bulbasaur said.

_Suurrrree, _Ash and Squirtle said in unison.

After all of the pokémon from the village and all of Ash's pokémon had been examined, Melanie found herself cornered by concerned nurses, given a medical examination, and then sent to join Ash and Aoba.

"I don't know why they're fussing over me," Melanie confided to her fellow patients. "It was only a minor head injury and nothing else. I have been perfectly cognizant and functional since I received it."

"I guess they're just being careful," Ash said, with a sly grin on his face as the blue haired woman was forced to take her own medicine.

* * *

According to the nurses at the center, none of the damage the pokémon had suffered was permanent. Ash breathed a sigh of relief at the news.

About a day after they arrived, the nurses told them that the service outage in the Saffron area had been resolved and that pokégears would be able to send and receive calls again.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed as he changed back into his own clothes, having recently been released from bed rest. He couldn't wait to call Brock and Misty! He wanted to know how they were doing!

Unfortunately, when Ash sat down at one of the video phone booths, the child ran into a small problem. He had never learned their pokégear numbers.

Faced with that insurmountable obstacle, Ash retreated to the cafeteria and enjoyed the hot food that was neither dried nor a protein bar. He stuffed himself repeatedly that day, sharing all his meals with his pokémon. He also got to enjoy a shower, watch some TV, and sample some of the other fruits of human civilization before turning in for the night and resting his aching back on an actual bed again.

The next day, one of the staff mentioned that they had gotten a call from an individual claiming to be Brock. They had been unable to verify the caller's identity and so they hadn't told them anything.

The news put a damper on Ash's good mood. While he had been busy with his own struggle, he hadn't thought of what might be happening to Misty and Brock.

Ash knew that they were both strong. He had witnessed Misty's strength in the Viridian Forest when she had saved his life. He had seen the power of Brock and Onix in Pewter City and during that first assault on Team Rocket.

But he had forgotten that they weren't invincible. Something might have gone wrong and they could have been killed or captured!

But at the same time, Ash didn't think it was likely. He couldn't say whether it was because he didn't want to think about what might have happened to them, or simply because he had faith in them. He was left feeling pensive rather than anxious.

* * *

The boy loitered around the pokémon center for the rest of the day, listless and bored. Pikachu was getting another examination so Ash couldn't even kill time by talking to him. While wandering around the center, looking for something to occupy himself, Ash came across Aoba, who was staring at a closed magazine.

"Hey," Ash said to the silent man.

"Huh? Oh." Aoba started and looked at Ash. "What is it Aaron?"

"Bored," Ash said with a shrug. "What about you?"

"Same, I think," Aoba sighed. "After what's happened, I have no idea what to do with myself."

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "There's nothing to do but wait until Brock and Misty get here!"

"That's true, but not exactly what I was thinking about," Aoba put the magazine back in a rack next to the chair he was sitting in. "Especially given that I might be put into protective custody once the police and some League trainers arrive."

"Wait, what?"

"You didn't know?" Aoba looked surprised at Ash's reaction. "That was one of the first things the staff here did. They called the police and the police said that they'd be calling in gym support."

"I didn't think about that," Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his head. The wound on his back gave a twang of pain, but nothing like it used to. "But what does that have to do with protective- uh- custardy?"

"Protective custody?" Aoba corrected. "Well, I was subject to multiple acts of attempted murder by Team Rocket. The police and the League will want to guarantee my safety until they're done investigating why I was targeted and probably until they're sure I'm safe"

"Oh, well-"Ash thought for a moment. He hadn't really been focused on anything beyond getting everyone to the pokémon center safely. He hadn't thought about what would come next for Melanie and Aoba. "At least you'll be safe?"

"What's the point of being safe now?" Aoba looked down. "I've lost what was most important to me."

"But maybe you find something new?" Ash shrugged. "If you're alive you can keep trying to do stuff. To be happy. You can keep moving."

"I did move on-"Aoba nearly shouted, head snapping to look at Ash, and he began to get out of his chair, but then he stopped and took a deep breath. "I did move on. I found Ted and now he's gone as well. What's the point-"

The biochemist closed his eyes. He slowly sat back down in the chair.

"But you're right," Aoba sighed. "I don't know what I will do with myself, but I think I do want to keep going. I'm not ready to be done with this world quite yet."

"But," Aoba went on, a small grin on his face, "that doesn't solve the issue of me not knowing what to do with myself."

"Uhhhh….. don't die?" Ash suggested. "I mean to start with."

"Thanks," Aoba said, rolling his eyes, his voice dry. "I'll take that under consideration."

* * *

Ash soon discovered that Aoba wasn't the only adult feeling lost. He came across Melanie sitting outside on a bench in back of the center, watching the pokémon from the village as they ate, napped, or play fought. She was sitting very still, hands in her lap and her legs at an angle.

"Oh, hello Aaron," the blue haired woman said when she noticed him approaching. "How are you doing today?"

"Bored," Ash replied. "I want to do stuff but there's no stuff I want to do."

"Hmmm…." Melanie pursed her lips together. "Is it because you're worried about Brock and Misty?"

"Probably," Ash sighed, sitting down on the bench next to her. "They're strong but…."

"You're still worried that something may have gone wrong," Melanie finished for him. "I know, I feel the same way right now."

"Yeah," Ash looked down at the ground between his feet. "It sucks."

"Indeed," Melanie said. "I do hope nothing happens to Brock, he's a very cute young man."

"Huh?" Ash looked over at her, confused.

"Too bad I'm too old for him," Melanie went on with a sigh, briefly looking into the sky. "Oh well, such is life."

"What?" Ash asked again, still not understanding what she was talking about.

"Never mind," the blue haired woman said, dismissing the topic with a wave of her hand. "Just trying to distract myself from the fact that my previous life is now over."

"Wait, what?" Ash asked, just as confused by the new topic as he was by the old. "Why is it over?'

"It's not like I can go back to the village; even if it hadn't been destroyed, it's no longer safe there. Team Rocket might come back at any time." Melanie looked back at the pokémon she cared for. "I can stay here until these pokémon are ready to move on, I'll supervise their treatment. But after that, I don't know what I'll do."

"Can't you just start a new village somewhere else?" Ash asked.

"I guess I could, but it wouldn't be the same," Melanie explained. "I choose that location for a reason. It's deep enough in the wilds such that I wasn't bothered by trainers, but it was close enough to Saffron and Vermillion cities to easily find abandoned pokémon. There really isn't another region that would work as well."

"Oh," Ash looked out at the pokémon under her care. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Melanie said, gently laying a hand on his arm. "Nothing lasts forever. And I'm very thankful for what you did Aaron. I've said it before and I'll say it again: You're a very brave and kind young man."

"Thanks," Ash said, flushing, grinning, and rubbing the back of his head. "But I'm still sorry about your village."

"Thank you," Melanie gave the boy a gentle smile. "I'm sure I can find something else to do. Maybe I'll start another sanctuary here, at this pokémon center."

"Why didn't you set one up at a pokémon center before?" Ash asked.

"I don't exactly trust the League," Melanie told him, looking back at the center. "It's too big, too easy for corruption to spread. Too easy to expose vulnerable pokémon to unscrupulous trainers. But I suppose I don't have a choice any longer. At least they can provide security."

"It's something, I guess." Ash shrugged.

"It's certainly better than nothing," Melanie said with a smile.

* * *

Squirtle watched his squad play fight in the pokémon center lobby, while a frazzled looking nurse tried to herd them somewhere else. He smiled and then wandered off to the pokémon center cafeteria where he found Charmander eating a bowl of pokéchow in the pokémon's area.

_Hey, _Squirtle said as he walked over.

_Hey! _Charmander smiled, perking up and turning away from his bowl.

_I just wanted to thank you again for that save in the forest, _Squirtle told the fire-type. _I thought I was a goner for sure. _

_I'm sure you- I mean- Okay, yeah, it didn't look good, _Charmander admitted. _It still feels weird, you know? _

_What does? _

_Winning. Being useful. Being the one to rescue someone else, _Charmander said looking down. _I've never done anything like that before. _

_I told you, you had it in you, _Squirtle said, placing a paw on Charmander's shoulder. _You weren't weak. You aren't weak._

_No, I was weak, _Charmander shook his head. _But Ash helped me get stronger. _

_I can tell, _Squirtle replied, smiling.

_Yeah! He taught me a new attack-_

_That's not what I meant, _Squirtle shook his head. _The new attack is nice and all, but that's not what made you stronger. _

_Huh? _Charmander tilted his head.

_You're more confident, _Squirtle explained. _You believe in yourself. That means you think you can win and you're willing to try harder. _

_What? _

_If you don't think you can win, it's so much harder to really try to win, _Squirtle went on. _Like, sometimes you can win without believing in yourself, but it's a loooot harder. But if you think you can do it, you're willing to go that extra mile. _

_Is that why you were always telling me not to call myself weak? _Charmander asked, eyes narrowing.

_Yes, _Squirtle grinned and gave Charmander two thumbs up. _And I was right! You weren't weak! You just needed to quit believing that and start thinking you were as cool as I thought you were!_

_Oh, _Charmander sighed. _I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. _

_I mean, thanks, but it looks like I was going about it in the wrong way, _Squirtle said. _What Ash did for you is really cool too. _

_Yeah! _Charmander exclaimed. And then he put his claws together and fidgeted. _I- uh- I sorta want- I mean, do you think he'd let me come with him?_

_You want him as your trainer? _Squirtle asked.

_Yeah, _Charmander nodded. _He's helped me get stronger already. Maybe he can do that some more!_

_ Probably, _Squirtle said. _He's got a lot of ideas I like and some of them are actually good ideas! _

_ Don't you mean he's pretty cool? _Charmander asked with a sly grin.

_He is, isn't he, _Squirtle said. _I wonder…. _

_ What? _

_ Nevermind, _Squirtle said. _Just something I'm thinking about._

* * *

Evening arrived and Bulbasaur found Melanie sitting out in front of the pokémon center, watching the stars come out. He joined her, resting his head against the side of her leg.

"Hello, Bulbasaur," the blue haired woman said, reaching down to gently rub his head. Bulbasaur nuzzled against the side of her leg in return.

They sat in silence for the better part of twenty minutes, simply staring up at the night sky and watching the stars emerge. Day faded, the trees around them went from being draped in a blue-grey shroud and drifted into darkness. The two of them sat in a little island of light created by the pokémon center lights.

Eventually Melanie broke the silence.

"Thank you for everything, Bulbasaur. Aaron, Misty, and Brock might have rescued us, but none of us would have survived long enough to be rescued if it wasn't for you."

_That's what I'm here for, _Bulbasaur replied. _And it would be rude of me not to mention that the Squirtle Squad helped out too. _

"I'm guessing that you said that the Squirtle Squad helped out too," Melanie asked, looking down at him.

_Yes, _Bulbasaur nodded.

"They certainly did," Melanie smiled. "But I know you played a big part in convincing them to stay."

_I just told them the truth about you and what you were doing, _Bulbasaur scoffed. _It ain't like that was much work. _

"If you're saying that they stayed because they liked what the village was doing, that may be true," Melanie said. "But I don't think they would've believed it from a human."

_Okay, you've got a point there. _

"I'm going to miss those days," Melanie sighed and rubbed Bulbasaur's head again. "You and me in the village, taking care of pokémon. Or even the couple of weeks that the Squirtle Squad was with us before everything went to distortion."

_It's not like we're going anywhere, _Bulbasaur told her.

"Bulbasaur, I'm afraid we won't be able to go back to the village," Melanie told him. "I don't know why Team Rocket decided they had to kill me after I met Aoba, but it doesn't matter. It's simply not safe for me to go back and start over. They might decide to attack again and I doubt I'd get saved twice. I'd be putting both myself and any pokémon I'm taking care of at risk."

_So, you can do something else, _Bulbasaur shrugged.

"If you're suggesting that I do something else, then you should I don't intend to sit around and fade away," Melanie told the grass type, looking worried. "I'm just worried….. I'm just worried that things won't go as smoothly as they did before."

_It's ain't like everything was smooth sailing before….. okay, I see what you're getting at._

"I'm also worried about you," Melanie said in a soft quiet voice. "I'm afraid that you….. you might not be comfortable with whatever new arrangements I end up making."

_What's that supposed to mean, _Bulbasaur asked, giving Melanie a small glare.

"Bulbasaur, I'd love it if you would stay with me," Melanie went on, kneeling in front of the grass-type so that she could look him in the eyes. "But wherever I end up going, I'll probably have police or League security. I'm afraid there might not be anything for you to do."

Bulbasaur was silent for a moment as he thought about what the woman had said.

_You're right, _he sighed. _I'm not ready to retire. _

"You're a young pokémon, despite your scars," Melanie went on. "And how you act."

_I ain't that young…. _

"Again, I'd love it if you'd stay with me," Melanie repeated. "But I'm afraid you wouldn't like it. You're too active for such a life. You need to get out and spread your roots so that you can bloom."

_I hope you mean that metaphorically, 'cause I have no plans to evolve, _Bulbasaur told her.

"If you're thinking that I'm encouraging you to evolve, don't worry, I'm just being metaphorical," Melanie told him. "But the point is, I'm not sure I can find something that you'll like."

_I like being with you, _Bulbasaur said softly. _But, you're correct. I'm not ready to just sit around. _

He buried his face in her torso and she embraced him.

"You're always welcome to join me, wherever I might be," Melanie said to the grass type, leaning back so that she could look him in the eye again.

_I'll hold you to that, _Bulbasaur told the blue haired woman. _I'll make sure to stop by and visit. And when I'm ready to settle down, I'll come back. _

"I hope you said that you'd visit," Melanie said, her eyes starting to water.

_Yeah, _Bulbasaur said, nodding and reaching out with a vine to brush away a tear from the woman's face, his own eyes starting to water.

"Oh, Bulbasaur, what will I do without you?"

_Nothing dangerous, I hope. _

"And what will you do next?" Melanie said, hugging him close again.

Bulbasaur didn't say anything.

They sat together in a pool of light outside the pokémon center, the silent stars twinkling overhead.

* * *

_How's everybody feeling? _Squirtle asked his squad. They had gathered in the otherwise empty pokémon center lobby.

_Great! _One squirtle shouted.

_ I haven't been this full in ages! _Another exclaimed, patting their stomach.

_ I can't believe 'The Rise and Fall of the Water People' is still on! I loved that series! _Another said, sitting in front of the lobby's television.

_ I forgot how much fun it is to race those chairs with wheels!_

_ They really know how to groom a tail here! _

_ That's good to hear, _Squirtle said. _Does anyone have anything they'd like me to deal with? _

_ Nope! _

_ I'm good! _

_ Organize more chair races! _

_Hmm…. what sort of wheelie chairs? _Squirtle stroked his chin for a moment before shaking his head. _Nevermind, we'll talk about that later. Let's discuss what our next move is going to be. _

_ I thought we were just sticking with Melanie? _One of the squad asked.

_Yeah! She's cool! And her food is great! _

_ Well, she can't go back to the village, in case it gets attacked again, so she's going to be doing something else, _Squirtle explained to his squad.

_ Well, then, we'll just go with her when she does something else, _a squirtle said. They were backed up by a chorus of agreements.

_She might not need our help, _Squirtle pointed out.

_Of course, she will, _the other squirtle said. _We'll need to help Bulbasaur protect her._

_ A bunch of police and trainers are coming to do that instead, _Squirtle informed them.

_Oh, _the squirtle looked downcast for a moment and then perked back up. _Well, that will make our job easier then!_

_ Yeah! _

_ We'll barely have to do anything! _

That was not the reaction Squirtle had been expecting.

_But won't that be boring? _Squirtle asked the water-types before him. _I mean, I like eating and playfighting as much as anyone else, but if we don't do anything else, won't it be boring? Maybe we could go back into the wilds-_

_ No! _One of the squirtles protested. _I don't want to go back. _

_ I'm sick of having to worry about being eaten, _another squirtle said, looking down and scuffing the floor with one foot.

_And I'm sick of having to forage everywhere for food, _a different squirtle added.

_I missed pokémon centers, _yet another said. _I missed places where people could control the temperatures. It's so nice not to have to worry about getting too hot or too cold all the time. _

_ But…. But…. But we won't get any stronger like that! _Squirtle protested.

_So? I don't want to try and get stronger. _One of squirtles who had spoken earlier said. _I'm fine with the way I am! I just want to not be hungry or scared! _

_ Yeah! _Came another chorus of agreements.

Squirtle studied his squad silently. He sighed. He took off his sunglasses, storing them in his shell and then grinned at his squad.

_Okay, if that's what you want to do, then that's what the Squirtle Squad will do! _Squirtle exclaimed, giving the squad two thumbs up.

The squad cheered and Squirtle's grin faltered for an instant.

_Also, _Squirtle paused to take a deep breath, _I'm going to have to leave you all, for a little bit. _

_ Huh? _Most of the squad was giving him quizzical looks from behind their sunglasses.

_I've got some things I want to do, _Squirtle informed them. _I've got to get stronger. I've got to learn how to be a better leader. And if you lot are safe with Melanie, that means I don't have to worry about you getting in trouble, especially you Squirtle and Squirtle. _

The squirtles in question blushed while the rest of the squad laughed.

_While I'm gone, listen to the Squirtle, _the former leader of the Squirtle Squad said. _She's the only one of you that comes close to making sense. _

_ Thanks, boss, _the squirtle in question said, her tone indicating that she was rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses.

_How long are you going to be gone? _Another squirtle asked.

_I don't know, _Squirtle said. _I don't even know where I'm going to go yet. But I promise you, I will return. And when I do, well, we'll see what we want to do then._

* * *

During his second night at the pokémon center, Ash's nightmares returned and they brought new friends.

He had his usual nightmares about being hounded by dark shapes, simultaneously human and inhuman, lit by flames carried in their mouths. He had his usual nightmares about being hunted.

And then there were the new ones.

Inhuman shapes stepped out of the darkness and they wore human faces while they grabbed at Ash with blood covered claws instead of hands. They wore the faces of Team Rocket, they wore the faces of Ash's classmates from first grade, and they wore the faces of teachers, doctors, and other adults that he had interacted with throughout the years.

When they reached for Ash, he batted their hands away and then they began to crumble, screaming in pain and fear the whole time. He curled up in a ball as everyone died and then he woke with a start.

_Nightmares again? _Pikachu asked groggily from his spot on Ash's chest.

_Yeah, _Ash said, settling back into the bed. _A new one. _

_ You poor idiot, _Pikachu yawned. _But you're the one who decided to go through that. _

_ It's not that,_ _I think- _Ash said, trying to remember the nightmare.

_You shouldn't be using that word, _Pikachu interrupted, curling up into a ball on his trainer's chest.

_Hush you. I think it's that man at the end, _Ash explained. _He wasn't how I thought he would be. _

_ What do you mean? _

_ He- _Ash tried to think of the right word- _he was, too human I guess. He knew what it was like to grieve and feel fear. But he still made others afraid and made them grieve. _

_ So? _Pikachu asked.

_Why? He knew what it was like, he knew how horrible it is to feel like that. Why did he make Aoba go through that then? _Ash stared up at the ceiling of his room at the pokémon center.

_Who knows why you humans do anything? _Pikachu said.

_There's got to be a reason? _Ash insisted, propping himself up on his elbows so that he could look at Pikachu while they talked.

_Pidgeies are hunted, so why did Pidgeotto hunt? _Pikachu said to Ash.

_ I get what you're trying to say, _Ash replied. _But that's not at all the same. Pidgeotto needed to hunt or she would've starved. _

_ Why can't those humans work the same way? _Pikachu asked his trainer, uncurling and standing up to look at his trainer.

_ Because we humans don't work like that, _Ash said.

_You sure? _

_ Yes, _Ash said. Pikachu didn't look convinced so Ash tried to think of a way to explain it. _I know you're a forager, but you can eat meat too, right? _

_ Yes, _Pikachu nodded, looking unsure as to where Ash was going.

_If you were starving and came across, I don't know, some horsea trying to get back in the water, would you eat it? _Ash asked his pokémon.

_No! _Pikachu looked horrified.

_I thought so, _Ash said. _Would you look down on one of your family if they did though? _

_ I- I don't think so, _Pikachu admitted. _It was never really a thing with our herd that we shouldn't eat other pokémon, we just never did. _

_ But even if it meant that you would die, you wouldn't do that? _Ash continued.

_Not to some random horsea, _Pikachu said, _no. If it was a pokémon I didn't mind killing anyway, that's a different story. _

_ And you're from an environment where starvation is always a present danger, _Ash went on. _I know Flygirl and Poison Lance got worried sometimes about making sure that I had enough food. They told me what it was like before they met Lucas, back when they were wild pokémon. It sounded like it could get really tough. _

_ Sometimes, _Pikachu said. _But not always. There are times when it's easy. _

_ But the point is, you are an example of a pokémon that wouldn't hunt even if they were starving and I know that's something that's harder for a wild pokémon to say than a human or a pokémon that was never wild. _

_ Yes, but so what? _Pikachu shrugged. _I don't see what this has to do with humans being horrible._

_ I'm saying that it's not like pokémon hunting, _Ash explained. _There are wild pokémon that won't hunt no matter how hard it gets and most humans have it way easier than them. We have lots of food. We don't have to kill to survive- _Ash's head slumped down and he rested his chin on his chest – _at least not most of the time. _

_ I guess that's true, _Pikachu said, settling back down. _Then, sorry, I guess I didn't know. _

_ It's okay, _Ash sighed, lowering himself back down on the bed. _I just wish I didn't have the question._

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank blackcatspecialist for beta reading.

I'd also like to thank everyone who left a comment or review!

So, based off the conflicting feedback I've gotten about the pacing, it seems to be a 'different strokes for different folks' situation, at partially. Which leads to good news and bad news: I have no plans to do another arc in this manner again. This arc was the way it was because I plopped down five new characters and had to establish their dynamics, and then four of them had character arcs, and some of those arcs were coupled together with other characters, and that's not even getting into theme and atmosphere-

The point is that I don't think I'll be dealing with another arc with so much to handle in the future. Though, we'll have to see how the next arc goes to be sure I'm making good on that.

Though, we're not quite out of the woods for this arc yet.

Oh, and further news. I'm going on a trip next week, so no chapter then. The next chapter of Symbiotic will be released on July 1st, 2020.

That should be everything.

Anyway, don't forget to review/comment. Constructive criticism is always welcome!

:AN


	33. Chapter 33

Over the course of the following morning several police officers, led by a member of the Jenny clan, and uniformed pokémon trainers from the Saffron City Gym arrived at the Yin-Li Memorial Pokémon Center. Ash sighed as the police took him aside for another debriefing. He hoped that he wouldn't have to do too many of those.

After the debriefing Ash found himself once again waiting in the lobby, though this time there was human company in the form of the newly arrived cops and trainers. Most were sitting around, reading magazines or watching television, while their compatriots took Melanie and Aoba's stories.

Ash amused himself by briefly watching television with them and then taking a nap. When he woke up several hours later, Aoba had joined him in the lobby and the others had left.

"Welcome back to the waking world," Aoba said when he noticed that Ash had woken up.

"How'd it go?" Ash asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes. Aoba sighed.

"They're going to exhume Ted's body," Aoba informed Ash. "Just to see if they can confirm the autopsy report. They also sent out a trainer with a fearow to collect the corpses. If any of them are on record as being an active member of Team Rocket, then they'll start investigating this in earnest."

"What did they say about you?" Ash asked.

"If everything checks out, then they said that they'll probably take me into protective custody," Aoba informed the boy. "But I'm not sure what that's going to entail."

The man then closed his eyes. "They're also going to want to know more about why Team Rocket was targeting me in the first place," the former scientist went on. "I didn't do anything illegal, but I don't want people finding out about my past…. Or at least I thought I didn't," Aoba finished, opening his eyes again. "I'm still apprehensive about the prospect, but nowhere as much as I used to be."

"Appre-whatisve?" Ash inquired.

"Apprehensive. Scared." Aoba told the boy.

"Oh. Why aren't you as scared as you used to be?"

"I honestly don't know," Aoba shrugged. "Maybe several near-death experiences have changed my perspectives on things. Or maybe it's because someone at Team Rocket already knows what I did."

"Do you- do you want to try telling me what it was that you're so afraid of?" Ash asked, forcing himself not to look away from the man's face.

"I can try," Aoba said, taking a deep breath. "I was involved in a project focused on pokémon genetic engineering. Everything they did was legal, but, at the same time, they did things that never should have been done. I left before the project was complete and the last I heard of it was that the lab had burned down. I think the experiment was responsible."

"Oh. Were you messing around with fire-type pokémon or something?" Ash asked.

"No," Aoba shook his head. "Something else."

"Were they being cruel to the pokémon?"

"They tried not to be," Aoba said. "But I think they might have been anyway. I wasn't really involved with the pokémon itself, most of my work was done before it ever came into being."

"Did you try and fix things?'

"I voiced my concerns and tried to get them to change their approach. I was unsuccessful. As I said, it wasn't my department," Aoba answered, "so my voice didn't carry much weight. I don't know if anything changed after I left."

"That doesn't really sound too bad," Ash told the man. "I don't get- I mean I sort of get why you don't like it, but I don't get why you were so scared of it."

"I don't think I can describe the affair in a way that does it justice." Aoba said, a sad smile on his face.

"Maybe," Ash shrugged. "Or maybe you just felt guilty because you're a good person."

"I doubt that," Aoba snorted. "But it is true that guilt does have a way of messing with you. Maybe it made things seem worse than they were. Fear's like that as well."

"And you're not afraid anymore."

"I guess not," Aoba said with a shrug. "Maybe that's all there is to it."

The two sat in silence for a while, until Melanie rejoined them.

"How'd it go?" Aoba asked the blue haired woman.

"As well as it could have gone," Melanie answered, taking a seat on the other side of Ash. "They took my statement, they questioned me about what happened, and then they told me that if everything checked out then they would probably take me into protective custody."

"Oh," Ash said. He looked at Aoba and then back and Melanie. "What exactly do you do in protective cust-custody?"

"Not as much as I'd like," Melanie sighed. "Or at least, that's what I've heard. Once things cool down some I can either get a small security detail or find a job at a gym or a League facility."

"What about the pokémon?" Ash inquired further. "What's going to happen to them?"

"They'll probably keep me here, at least at first," Melanie told the boy. "These frontier pokémon centers double as outposts. They'll use this center as a forward base while they investigate. I should be able keep the pokémon here until they're ready to leave. After that, I don't know."

"I guess they'll probably keep me here too," Aoba said from Ash's other side. "I wonder what I'll do." Ash turned to see the former scientist looking down at the ground, arms resting on his knees, hands hanging limply between his legs. "I doubt they have need for a biochemist or a café assistant."

"I might have need of an assistant though," Melanie said, leaning around Ash to address Aoba. "Another pair of hands would be very helpful in dealing with the pokémon. I know it's not much, but it's something to occupy your time while we're stuck here."

"It would be nice to have something to do," Aoba admitted. "I think I'll take you up on that offer."

"Welcome aboard," Melanie said, grinning at the man. "You can get started tomorrow. We've got to take care of some checkups and tests that aren't part of the standard examination, several medications to administer to uncooperative pokémon, and then we have to plan out a number of special diets."

"Oh, what have I gotten myself into," Aoba complained, but Ash could see that the man was smiling.

"I nearly forgot in all this excitement; Aaron, what's going to happen to you?" Melanie asked, turning to face the boy. "Team Rocket came after me just because Aoba stumbled across me. Surely they'll consider you a target now too."

"Maybe?" Ash shrugged. "I don't even know if they saw me. I mean, they might've during the first attack, but the last attack was at night. But they're all-" Dead "-gone now."

"They could've sent a report with your description back," Melanie said.

"I guess," Ash shrugged. "But I've already got people trying to babysit me. Brock and Misty already are following me just because I ran into Team Rocket a few times before this-"

"You ran into Team Rocket previously?" Aoba shot Ash a surprised glance. "Where?"

"Uh, in the Viridian Forest, they were catching all the caterpie for some reason, and then in Pewter City when they attacked," Ash informed the man. "I just ran into them both times-"

"I remember you saying something about that before, I think it was the night we met," Melanie said. "But Aoba's right, they might decide to come after you for the same reason they came after me, especially if you've run into them previously."

"Ugh, Misty isn't going to quit bugging me about this," Ash groaned, letting his head slump into his hands. "Professor Oak told her and Brock to babysit me because of what happened before! Now they're never going to leave me alone!"

"I thought you travelled together because you were friends?" Melanie asked.

"I mean," Ash shifted around in around in his seat a little, "yeah, I guess. I like travelling with them, it's just, well I was hoping for a bit more freedom? I just sort of want to travel alone for a week once and a while and then meet up with them later."

"You'll just have to wait then," Melanie reassured the boy. "Once everything's died down with Team Rocket, you can take some time to yourself."

"I'll be an old man by then," Ash groaned. "Why do human friends have to be so, uh, complicated? Ugh!"

Melanie and Aoba shared a glance over the top of the boy's head and then collapsed into a fit of giggles.

* * *

Around dinner time the trainers who had set out on the fearow returned, carrying two wrapped bodies. The trainers dropped off the bodies and one of them stayed behind while the fearow's trainer set out to retrieve the last three bodies.

Several filled pokéballs had been recovered as well, the pokémon who had been too weak for the final attack on the group from the village or those that had been recalled before their trainers died. The pokémon inside were all stable and the pokémon center staff started making arrangements for their eventual release.

The police officers were able to send photos of the corpses back to a station, which was able to identify one of them as an active member of Team Rocket. The Jenny leading the force was confident that at least one other member of the group would be likewise identified. It was enough for her to decide that everyone's stories checked out.

After that had been announced, Aoba, Melanie, and most of the newcomers went off to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. Ash had started to follow them when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey kid, you got a minute?" The Jenny asked when Ash turned around.

Ash nodded, unsure as to why she wanted to talk to him. Pikachu shifted on Ash's shoulder, also facing the Jenny.

"I just want you to know, the offer of protective custody is open to you too," Jenny said to the boy, her hand still on his shoulder.

"Okay?" Ash said, titling his head a little, still confused.

"Just in case you don't feel safe going back out there," Jenny continued.

"Yes and?"

"If you're worried about Team Rocket coming after you for this we can protect you," Jenny continued, looking Ash in the eye. "You don't have to worry."

"Okay, but I'm fine," Ash told her. "I've already got two babysitters and that should be enough."

"Oh?" Jenny raised an eyebrow and Ash quickly explained his traveling situation.

"It's good to hear that you won't be totally defenseless, but I'm afraid it might not be enough," Jenny told him after he had finished. "You may need 'round the clock protection to keep you safe."

"I think I'm fine," Ash said, grimacing at the thought of constantly being around adult humans. He'd have no time to talk to his pokémon. It would be awful!

"Kid," Jenny sighed. "If Team Rocket decides that you need to die, they'll hunt you down without mercy."

Ash froze for a moment when he heard her words. He looked down so that he wouldn't have to meet the officer's eyes and saw that his hands were clenching into tight fists.

The wave of fear that had washed through the boy at her words was chased by a wave of fury washing through his body. His mind raced. What did she know of being hunted? And who did Team Rocket think they were? They thought that they could hunt him after he beat them twice! They were nothing compared to his actual hunters!

Ash felt something patting him on the side of the head. It took him a moment to realize that it was Pikachu. He turned his head to look at his pokémon.

_Ash, calm down, _the electric type told him. _You're safe here._

The black-haired boy took a deep breath. He let his fists relax. He looked Captain Jenny in the eye again.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine," Ash said to her. "If Team Rocket wants me-" He took another deep breath. "I'm going to be traveling around a lot. That'll make it harder for them to get me. And I'll be traveling with a former gym leader and a gym trainer. I'll be fine."

Captain Jenny held his gaze for a long moment. And then she gave him a nod.

"If you're not scared," she began, giving him a crooked smile, "then you'll be alright. I've kept you long enough. Go enjoy your evening."

Ash returned the nod and then went off to have dinner.

* * *

Ash and his team sat outside the pokémon center, watching the horizon. The sun was setting and the sky was painted in a spectrum of colors from yellow to red to violet. The boy and his pokémon were watching the event in silence.

_Howdy, _Bulbasaur said as he joined them. _Nice evening. _

_ It is, _Ash replied. _What's-_

_ Hey everyone! _Squirtle exclaimed, sliding off the pokémon center roof to land next to them. _What's up? _

_ Not much, _Ash started to reply. _What's-_

_ Umm… Hello everyone, _Charmander said, coming around the side of the pokémon center to the join the group. _Do you mind if I join you? _

_ Not at all, _Ash told the fire type. _What's-_

_ Why are you two here? _Bulbasaur asked. _Shouldn't you be with your squad right now Squirtle? _

_ 'Bout that….. _Squirtle grinned and looked down. _Uhh… _

_ What's- _Ash began, but was interrupted again.

_Spit it out already, _Bulbasaur told Squirtle.

_Ash, _the water-type said turning to the human. _Can I- Can I ask you something? _

_ Sure, _Ash replied. _What's-_

_ Wait, I've also got a question for Ash! _Charmander exclaimed. _Can I go first? _

_ I guess, _Squirtle said with a shrug.

_Okay, _Ash turned to Charmander. _What's-_

_ I think I see where this is going, _Bulbasaur grumbled. _I think I've got a question, but I can wait until these two are done._

_ Okay, _Ash sighed. _Anyone else got anything to ask? _

_ No, _Pidgeotto chirped.

_I'm good, _Butterfree said.

_I don't have any questions for you anymore, _Pikachu said. _I've given up on expecting intelligent responses. _

_ Okay, _Ash said, rolling his eyes. _Charmander. What's the question? _

_ Can I- Would you mind if- Do you think-… CanIcomewithyouandjoinyourteamplease? _Charmander asked, fidgeting with his claws and looking at the ground, speaking fast.

_You want to… join my team? _Ash asked after he had puzzled out the fire type's request.

_ If- If you don't mind, _Charmander asked, still looking at the ground.

_Charmander, _Ash's face broke into a grin. _I'd love to have you! _

_ Really? _Charmander said, still not looking up.

_Yeah, _Ash said, reaching and tipping up the fire-type's chin. Charmander's eyes were full of tears and he grabbed the poké-raised boy in a hug.

_Thank you, thank you!_ The fire type was nearly shouting into Ash's shoulder.

The boy's face went through several complicated emotions before he wrapped his arms around Charmander, smiling as he returned the hug.

_You're welcome, _Ash said, his voice cracking.

_You won't regret it, I swear! _Charmander said. _I'll be the best-_

_ Charmander, you don't need to be the best, you just need to be yourself, _Ash told the fire type. _That's all you need to join us. _

Charmander's face went through his own set of complicated emotions and he ended up tightening the embrace as silent tears fell from his eyes.

The hug between the boy and the pokémon lasted a full minute before Charmander stepped back, wiping at his eyes. He looked at Ash and smiled. Ash smiled back.

The two of them heard sniffing coming from near them and the boy and the pokémon turned to see Squirtle wiping at his eyes.

_I'm sorry, but that was so- _Squirtle began before being cut off by Bulbasaur.

_ It was melodramatic, _Bulbasaur said.

(If anyone had looked a Bulbasaur a few moments earlier they would have seen the grass-type use his vines to wipe a tear from his eye.)

_Hey! _Ash and Squirtle protested.

_Didn't you have a question of your own? _Bulbasaur asked Squirtle. _Before the water-works began? _

_ You're right, _Squirtle said. _And you're a jerk, _he added before turning to Ash.

_I'll cut straight to the chase, _Squirtle pressed his forepaws together and took a deep breath. _I also want to join your team. _

_ Wait, really? _Ash looked the water-type up and down, trying to determine if Squirtle was up to some mischief. _But what about your squad? _

_ They'll be fine with Melanie, _Squirtle said, waving away Ash's concerns. He then looked the human straight in the eye. _If they stick with her, they won't need me. There are some things I need to do. I need to get stronger. I need to learn how to be a better commander. And I need to learn how to help them get stronger. I can't do that as we are now. _

_ And, _Squirtle smiled, _it was sort of fun fighting with you. I want to do that some more! _

_ If you want to come, I'd be glad to have you, _Ash said. He extended a hand out of the water-type. _Welcome aboard. _

Squirtle initially reached out like he was going to take Ash's hand, but instead yanked himself into a hug with the boy.

_You also saved my squad, _the water-type said, throwing his forelimbs around the human boy. _Thank you for that. _

_ It was the least- it was my pleasure, _Ash told the water-type, returning the hug.

_ Oh joy, _Bulbasaur grumbled from behind Ash. _Now my thing is gonna seem unoriginal. _

_ Wait, you wanted to come with too? _Ash said, letting go of Squirtle. _But, Melanie-!_

_ Is going to have some other protection, _Bulbasaur said, not meeting Ash's eye. _It ain't like she's gonna to need me if she's doing her thing from a pokémon center. _

_ Even if she's not going to need you, _Ash replied, _she's still going to want you to be around. _

_ And I'd like to stick with her, but I know myself too well, _Bulbasaur told the boy. _If I ain't going to be needed, then I'm liable to get bored and go look for someplace I am needed. And, quite honestly, from what I've seen, you're gonna need me. _

_ What's that supposed to mean! _Ash said, straightening up in indignation.

_ I'm sorry, but you were taking a trip between two cities and you managed to stumble over our whole fiasco, _Bulbasaur snorted. _And before that you got involved with an attack on a city-_

_ I wasn't the only one involved, _Ash said.

_And before that there was that fight in the woods you told me about-_

_ I mean, I was sort of looking for that-_

_ And before that you were almost kidnapped twice, _Bulbasaur continued. _Face it Ash, you're a trouble magnet. And I don't know whether it's better to pity Pikachu for having to keep you safe-_

_ It is a very difficult job, _Pikachu said, closing his eyes and nodding solemnly.

_Or pity you for having to put up with such a pikachu, _Bulbasaur finished.

_Hey! _

_ It can be an ordeal, _Ash said, closing his eyes and nodding in an imitation of Pikachu.

_And don't you start-! _

_ The point is, you could use some extra vines on board, _Bulbasaur told the pokéraised boy._ And I'm offering and it ain't like I cost much. Just some food, some calls to check-in on Melanie, and you just keep on doing what you've been doing and we're good. _

_ I mean, if we encounter anyone else who needs help, I'll try and help them, _Ash replied to Bulbasaur, kneeling down so he could look the grass-type in the eye. _But I'm not exactly going out and looking for people or pokémon in trouble. _

_ The same way you didn't go lookin' for us? _Bulbasaur asked with one raised eyebrow-equivalent.

_ Alright, _Ash conceded, _but I don't expect that to happen again. _

_ Then I'll just train and fight gyms until something else comes up, _Bulbasaur shrugged. _Maybe Melanie will need me again. Or I'll find some place needing guarding. _

_ If you're sure, then welcome to the team, _Ash said extending a hand. Bulbasaur extended his vines. The green tendrils were cool against the skin of the boy's wrist as the grass type wrapped around Ash's offered limb and shook his hand.

_Thanks for having me, _Bulbasaur said.

_My pleasure, _Ash said with a smile. The boy then stood up and clapped his hands together. _Right, now we've got to get you all in pokéballs-_

_ Actually, I've got a better idea, _Squirtle grinned and rubbed his forepaws together. _You've got three pokémon with you and there's three of us. Let's do a battle first! Try to catch us the proper way! _

_ That's what I did! _Butterfree trilled, fluttering in excitement. And then he calmed down. _But it didn't go so well…. It sort of hurt. _

_ I did it by accident, _Pidgeotto added, head cocked as she remembered the incident. _And it was also painful. _

Pikachu laughed a wicked little laugh. _Yeah, I did a good job. _

_ Butterfree's capture wasn't epic though, _Ash complained. _Me and Butterfree were trying to make it epic and you wouldn't play along. _

_ I was tired! _Pikachu protested. _And the end result was always going to be him getting electrocuted. _

_ Well now we're gonna give you a chance to do it properly, _Bulbasaur grinned. _Squirtle, I like this idea. I'm in. _

Charmander took a deep breath. _If you two are going to do it… then I'll fight too! _

_ Are you all up for this? _Ash asked, looking back at his current team.

_Yeah! _Butterfree exclaimed.

_Sure, _Pidgeotto nodded.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he gave the other three pokémon an evil grin. He rubbed his forepaws together.

_Let's do this._

* * *

_ Okay, _Bulbasaur said. _How are we gonna to do this? _

He, Squirtle, and Charmander had gone around to the other side of the pokémon center while Ash and his current team remained where they had been. The two groups had split up to come up with their strategy before the battle began.

_Hmm….. _Squirtle sat down and rubbed the top of his head.

_Ummm….. _Charmander fidgeted with his claws again. Bulbasaur didn't say anything; he simply stared at the ground, apparently lost in thought.

_I think I've got an idea, _Squirtle said eventually. _I remember Ash and I came up with a plan to deal with Team Rocket at one point. We didn't get a chance to use it, but it was primarily using type advantage because we probably couldn't do anything more complicated. _

_ You think he's going to do that against us? _Charmander asked.

_It makes sense, _Bulbasaur nodded. _Pikachu takes out Squirtle, Pidgeotto attacks me, and then Butterfree will probably take down Charmander with Sleep Powder. _

_ But if we know what they're going to do, then we can stop it! _Charmander exclaimed. Then a few seconds later. _How are we going to stop it? _

_ Pikachu will probably try to take out Squirtle right away, _Bulbasaur said. _So, I'll jump in front of Squirtle to block the hit. Pikachu ain't gonna curve it around me if he ain't expecting me to be in the way. _

_ I'll Bubblebeam Pidgeotto right away, _Squirtle said, _to keep her off of Bulbasaur. Charmander, can you Ember Butterfree just long enough to keep him from getting close? _

_ Okay! _

_ We'll need to take out Pikachu fast as we can, _Squirtle went on. _While Pidgeotto's recovering, I'll Bubblebeam if you can use Razor Leaf at the same time. _

_ That should be enough to take care of Pikachu, _Bulbasaur nodded. _Charmander, we'll need you to cover us while we're doing that. _

_ I can do it! _

_ And then we'll take out Butterfree, _Squirtle said. _After that the three of us can finish off Pidgeotto._

_ I can't wait to do this, _Charmander was grinning. _I don't remember looking forward to a fight like this. It never seemed this fun with Da- with my old trainer. _

_ That's because he was a shithead, _Squirtle said. _Now does everyone have the plan down? _

The other two pokémon nodded. Squirtle grinned, pulled out his sunglasses, and then stood up. _Let's teach Ash a thing or two about battling!_

* * *

_So how are we going to start this thing? _Pikachu asked once everyone had gathered back together on a small flat patch of grass to the side of the pokémon center. _I think we're supposed to have a referee or something say go but-_

_ I'm just going to use the timer function on my pokédex, _Ash said, walking over to a nearby tree stump and placing the device. _It'll go off in twenty seconds! _

_ Oh, we've got to wait that long before I can teach your pikachu a lesson? _Bulbasaur smirked as Ash hurried back to his spot behind his team.

_You grass-types are tough to fry, but that simply makes it all the more satisfying to do so, _Pikachu said, glaring at Bulbasaur.

_Don't hold it against us when we win! _Squirtle said to Pidgeotto and Butterfree.

_Okay! _Butterfree trilled. _But if we win you can't hold it against us! _

_ Okay! _Charmander chirped.

_How much longer do we have to wait? _Pidgeotto asked, just before the timer on the pokédex sounded.

_Go! _Ash shouted, pointing at the three pokémon from the village.

The village pokémon moved as they had planned. Bulbasaur leapt in front of Squirtle, vines already extended as he did so, braced to catch an electric attack. Charmander charged forward spewing an Ember attack into the air where he thought Butterfree was going to go. And Squirtle fired off a quick Bubblebeam, trying to anticipate Pidgeotto's movements.

None of their attacks made contact.

The first thing Ash's pokémon did was group together, Pidgeotto hovering over Butterfree, who hovered over Pikachu. And then Pidgeotto gave a might flap of her wings and a windstorm erupted around Ash's current team. Stray embers and bubbles were caught in the swirling air and pulled into the spiral.

Light shone and electricity buzzed from within the Gust attack. A solid column of yellow power erupted from the winds and engulfed Charmander. The fire-type bellowed in pain. He fell to the ground, his body sparking.

Ash threw a pokéball at the prone pokémon. Charmander vanished in a flash of red light and the pokéball rocked three times on the ground before going still.

_Ah, crap, _Bulbasaur winced once he registered what had happened to Charmander. _This ain't gonna be- _

Before he could finish his sentence, the grass-type was covered in a faint purple glow as Butterfree attacked him with Confusion. At the same time, Pidgeotto swooped at Squirtle, driving him away from Bulbasaur.

_Fry! _Pikachu exclaimed, jumping into the air and lashing out with a Thunderbolt attack. The spear of electric power lanced into Bulbasaur who was still struggling with the waves of telekinetic and telepathic force from Butterfree's confusion attack. Bulbasaur grit his teeth as he was electrocuted.

_Pidgeotto, Gust around you and Squirtle! _Ash ordered. _Pikachu, Thunderwave Bulbasaur. Butterfree Confusion again! _

Another column of swirling wind was added to the battlefield, surrounding Pidgeotto and Squirtle, stopping the water-type from coming to Bulbasaur's aid. Bulbasaur tried to get out of the way of the two attacks by wrapping his vines around the stump that held the pokédex and hauling himself away. Before he could escape, he was struck by another Confusion attack.

Rings of electric power earthed themselves in Bulbasaur, covering him in a shell of sparks. His limbs locked up and the paralyzed pokémon's rigid body tipped over. Bulbasaur's expression was locked in a glare as he rocked on his side.

Ash grinned in return and hurled another pokéball onto the field. Bulbasaur also became a mass of red energy and was sucked up into the open sphere. The ball fell to the ground, rocking, while the button in the middle shone red. A few seconds later it was still.

Water rushed, a flying type squawked, and a blue shell blasted skywards from the center of Pidgeotto's Gust attack. Squirtle popped out of his shell in mid air and surveyed the arena.

_Well, time to pull an amazing comeback, _Squirtle exclaimed as he landed. _You won't know what-_

_ Everyone get him! _Ash shouted, standing tall and pointing at the water-type. _Gust, Confusion, and Thunderbolt! _

_ Damn! _

Psychic power, wind, and electricity all converged on the blue pokémon. Squirtle couldn't even shout as he was swamped with attacks. A beaten and sparking squirtle was hurled belly first into the air, spinning like a frisbee as he flew up.

Ash and his team's gazes followed the flying water type, heads craning back and then forward as Squirtle's rise came to an end and he plummeted back to the ground. They all winced as he slammed into the earth.

_Ouch, _Squirtle croaked, beaten and singed. Ash threw a third pokéball and Squirtle was sucked into it. The ball didn't even rock before the center quit glowing.

_Huh, that was quicker than I expected, _Buttefree said while Ash collected the three pokéballs on the field.

_Yeah, _Pidgeotto agreed, coming to land next to Pikachu.

_Well, I got lucky and managed to predict what they thought I was going to do, _Ash said after collecting his three new pokémon.

_I still think I could have finished this quicker by shocking Squirtle first, _Pikachu said. _Even if that's what they thought we would do. _

_ They were ready for that, _Ash told his starter. _And this way we managed to take out Charmander quickly._

_ I guess, _Pikachu shrugged. _So how long do we have to wait until they're ready to come out?_

* * *

After a quick stop inside the pokémon center to have the nurses look over and heal his new pokémon, Ash returned to the area just outside and released them from their pokéballs. His old team waited behind him while he addressed the new joiners.

_ Welcome to the team! _Ash said once they were all assembled before him. _You guys didn't do bad back there. _

_ If you say so, _Charmander said, scuffing at the ground with his foot.

_No, really, _Ash said, kneeling down to look Charmander in the eye. _Pikachu hit you with the strongest attack he has, Thunder, before you were ready. That would take down most pokémon unless they had type advantage on their side. _

_ But you thought I was the easiest one to hit, _Charmander said, not meeting Ash's eyes. _I thought I was getting stronger-_

_ You are, _Ash reassured the fire-type. _And that's why we took you out first. We didn't want you using type advantage against Butterfree._

_ Really? _Charmander finally met Ash's eye.

_Really, _Ash reassured his new pokémon. He then stood up and turned to the other two. _So, who came up with the plan for Bulbasaur to try and stop Pikachu from hitting Squirtle? _

_ It was me, _Bulbasaur said, stepping forward.

_It wasn't a bad idea, _Ash told the grass-type. _It was a pretty good idea honestly, that's why I felt you guys would have thought of it. _

_ So, you tried to think about what we would have thought of? _Squirtle asked. _What would have happened if you had been wrong? _

_ Then the battle would have been longer, _Ash shrugged. _I mean, I had Pidgeotto use Gust to protect everyone in case I was wrong, _

_ Okay, _Squirtle nodded. _Errr….. I should probably be trying to remember stuff like that. _

_ For when you come back for your Squad? _Pidgeotto asked.

_Yeah, _Squirtle nodded.

_Hey, idiot, you got anything else to say to them, _Pikachu said, jumping onto his trainer's shoulder.

_ No, I'm done, _Ash told his starter.

_In that case, let me also extend a forepaw in greeting, _Pikachu announced, gesturing at Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. _While on this team you will be given commands by one of the most stupid, foolhardy, and reckless humans in existence. When he is not having one of his rare bright ideas you should feel free to ignore him because he's probably doing something stupid that will put him in danger. _

_ You will be provided with food though, _Pidgeotto added.

_And Ash will help you do things! _Butterfree piped up, adding his own two cents.

_Yes, there are some small upsides to having to babysit this reckless- Hey! _Pikachu protested as Ash shrugged Pikachu off of his shoulders and caught the electric-type in a hug.

_You can't even hide how much you care about me, _Ash said, nuzzling Pikachu while the yellow pokémon tried to squirm out of his trainer's grasp. _It's so cute how you're trying to-_

There was a brief electric buzz and Ash found himself twitching on the ground while Pikachu calmly collected himself and walked several steps away from Ash and towards the new pokémon.

_As I was saying, he's a reckless idiot, _Pikachu told them.

_ I'll say, _Bulbasaur replied. _I mean, just think of how much easier things would be for him if he kept you in your pokéball._

_ Now don't you start, _Pikachu glared at Bulbasaur.

_Well, anyway, _Ash said while picking himself up. _We're all glad to have you on the team. _

_ Thanks for letting us on the team! _Charmander replied with the largest smile that Ash had seen on his face. _I'm so happy to be here._

* * *

"They all wanted to go with you?" Melanie shot Bulbasaur a surprised glance. They were sitting in the pokémon center's cafeteria, where Ash and his pokémon were replenishing themselves after the battle. Melanie had been having a cup of tea, chatting with Aoba who was drinking a mug of hot decaf.

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed, spearing some meat, cheese, and potato dish that lay on his plate next to a pile of rice and vegetables. "I didn't expect that!"

"Honestly, Bulbasaur, I thought you were just going to slip away into the forest." Melanie took another sip of tea. "But I'm glad you decided to travel with someone. It will put my mind at ease."

_Hey! I can take care of myself! _Bulbasaur protested from his bowl of pokéchow.

"I know you're a tough pokémon," Melanie said, rolling her eyes. "But it will still make me sleep better knowing you have someone to watch your back."

_Fine, _Bulbasaur grumbled before turning back to his food.

"Huh," Aoba said after inhaling deeply to savor the aroma of his drink, "Is that how trainers normally acquire pokémon?"

"No," Ash shook his head. "Well, a little. They usually just challenge you when you walk by if they want to be caught. If you're too weak or they don't like you, they just run away."

"But they don't normally volunteer to join you and then fight you?" Aoba said, taking a sip of his drink.

"No!" Ash said, shaking his head again. "But it was fun!"

"That's nice to hear, I guess," Aoba replied.

"Aaron, I know you'll take very good care of those pokémon," Melaine smiled at Ash and laid a hand on the boy's wrist. "Just make sure to let them take care of you as well."

"Okay!" Ash nodded.

"At least you'll have some more backup the next time you get into trouble," Aoba told the boy.

"I'm not going to get into more trouble," Ash crossed his arms, slumped, and scowled. "I don't know why everyone thinks I will."

"Your record speaks against you," Aoba said, shooting a wry glance at the boy. "I mean, given what's happened and what you've told us, I doubt you're out of the woods yet."

"We are out of the woods," Ash said sullenly. "That's why we came to this pokémon center."

"You're absolutely correct," Melanie said, bringing her cup of tea up to her lips. Ash thought that he saw the corner of her mouth quirk up, like she was hiding a smile behind the beverage. "We are out of the woods."

"Anyway," Aoba said, the corners of his own mouth twitching up and down, like he was trying to hide a smile, "you planning on leaving soon?"

"As soon as Brock and Misty get here," Ash said, still pouting.

"Which should be soon?" Aoba asked.

"I hope," Ash muttered, looking down at the table.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading.

Once again I'd like to thank everyone who left a review/comment.

My thought process for this bit: "Oh, I'm so tired from writing those big fight scenes. Hey, do you know what this part and these characters could use? A fight scene! Great job ConstructiveWriter, you bloody idiot."

(My trip was fine for anyone curious. I got to hike a lot and collected a bunch of sunburns.)

We should be concluding this arc in the next chapter. Not much else to say.

Anyway, don't forget to leave a review!


	34. Chapter 34

Late morning on the third day after their arrival, the gym trainers picked up on an underground rumbling. Pokémon that knew Dig were deployed to intercept the interlopers. But, before they could reach it, the contact surfaced a mile from the pokémon center, near the trail leading to the building.

Despite the objections from the police and the trainers, Ash rushed out of the pokémon center with the other trainers to meet the newcomers. Ash tried to suppress a smile when he saw a splash of orange coming down the road but couldn't manage it.

Brock and Misty walked down the path. As they drew closer, Ash could see that they were dirtied and covered in small cuts. Misty had a large bruise on the side of her face and Brock was limping slightly.

Ash walked out to meet them, occasionally breaking into a sprint before regaining control of himself. When he got close enough to talk, he couldn't continue keeping the smile off his face and he looked at the ground, futilely trying to hide his expression.

"You guys were slow," Ash said to them.

"Yeah, well, traffic was horrible," Brock said, grinning at the other boy.

"You should have seen the other people on the road," Misty added with a smirk.

Ash gave up trying to hide his smile from the McBossypantses and hugged them both.

* * *

After Brock and Misty's identities were confirmed, they were taken into the pokémon center for debriefing and treatment. After that they joined Ash, Melanie, and Aoba in the cafeteria. The group pulled a couple of tables together so that they could eat.

"How were things with you?" Aoba asked over a cup of decaf after everyone had gotten their food and settled down.

Brock leaned back in his chair, stretched, and groaned before answering. "Not as bad as I feared."

"We attacked them one day, spent a day lobbing rocks at them, and then attacked them a few days later," Misty explained to the group. "The last attack was the worst. They were ready for us that time."

"Of course, we were also ready for them," Brock said, taking a fork full of food from his plate. "It wasn't fun for either of us."

"It was a busy ten minutes, that's for sure," Misty added. "But we got away and then spent the next couple of days circling around each other until they decided to leave."

"Yeah, we picked up most of these-" Brock pointed to the small cuts on himself and Misty vaguely gestured towards the bruise on the side of her face "- in that last fight."

"That sounds like it must have been…." Melanie paused, twirling her fork in lunch as she searched for the best word "Exciting."

"Well, that's one word for it," Misty grimaced. "I'm just glad that it's over. How were things for you guys? Were we able to stop them all?"

"They were fine," Ash said quickly and with a shrug. His back had healed to the point where such a gesture no longer hurt.

"That's certainly not the word I would use to describe it," Melanie said, shooting Ash a disapproving look.

"Kid, you got stitches running up and down your back," Aoba said, looking at Ash out of the corner of his eye. "That's not fine."

Ash winced as Brock and Misty locked eyes on him.

"Okay, so five of them got past you and attacked us," Ash admitted, hunching up, grinning slightly, and rubbing the back of his head. "I may have gotten hurt."

"I would like to be clear, that whatever else you may think, Aaron saved all of our lives," Melanie said. "Even if he may or may not have been a tad bit reckless in doing so."

"Hey!" Ash protested. "It was only that one time."

"Aaron," Brock began, face resting in the center of his palm. "What-"

"Aaron! What did you do!" Misty growled, glaring at the boy. "I knew it was a mistake to-"

"Look, Squirtle was in trouble and I just jumped in the way," Ash said before she could build up steam. "The Vine Whip hurt, but he was in bad shape and I couldn't just do nothing!"

"Aaron," Brock groaned, but Misty's expression changed.

"Oh," she said, looking mollified. "Well, that's- I mean- You didn't- Look, just try to get the pokémon out of the way instead, okay?"

"Misty!" Brock hissed, shooting her a glare.

"Yeah," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head again. "I know that now."

"Ughh…" Brock groaned. "How bad was it? How many times were you attacked? What casualties did you take?"

"Uh, what's a casualty?" Ash asked.

"When someone was killed or injured in a fight," Misty explained.

"Oh. Uh…. I think all of the pokémon were hurt, but it wasn't bad," Ash said, staring into space while he tried to remember the specific details. "Umm…."

"Aaron took a Vine Whip to the back, which resulted in a severe laceration that required stitches," Melanie told the former gym leader, counting off her fingers as she spoke. "I had a minor contusion on the head that required no treatment. Aoba and Aaron both re-opened their stiches at one point. Aaron and Aoba both took Antidotes as a precautionary measure after receiving Poison Sting attacks."

Brock and Misty's expression grew more horrified as the list went on.

"Oh, and we all were monitored for complications due to smoke inhalation," Melanie concluded. "As for the pokémon, as Aaron said, they were injured, but it was minor enough to require minimal treatment. Aaron's Butterfree took the worst injuries and he was fine after a potion and a day of rest."

"Maybe you should just tell us everything that happened." Brock said.

Ash, Aoba, and Melanie filled the former gym leader and the gym trainer on what had transpired while they were gone. When they had finished, Brock was looking grim and Misty appeared to be some combination of worried and angry.

"I think I made the wrong call," Brock said once the others were finished. "We should have gone with you."

Ash shifted/fidgeted in his seat. "I mean," he replied, "wouldn't we just have been attacked by more people then? Or wouldn't they have just gotten you away from us anyway?"

"Maybe," Brock sighed. "Well I guess there's no point in worrying about that now. We'll just have to try and do better next time."

"No," Misty growled. "There isn't going to be a next time. Aaron, in the future, we're sending you to safe-"

"Hey! Team Rocket might have just decided to hunt me down 'cause I was there!" Ash protested. "Like they did with Melanie!"

"Arrgh!" Misty clenched her fists and looked down. "You're right. Is he allowed to be right? I don't think Aaron's allowed to be correct about stuff given what he usually pulls."

_Well it had to happen at some point, _Pikachu piped up.

"Calm down Misty," Brock told the red-head. "He's safe now and that's all that matters."

Misty took a deep breath. "You're right," she sighed. "Aaron, I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"It's alright," Ash replied.

And it really was. Talking with his two human travelling companions again brought a sense of familiarity, a sense of comfort. Ash knew that he had come to enjoy travelling with them, but not to the extent that he would miss them; what with their overprotectiveness and the way he and Misty kept fighting.

Then again, being able to speak to them again was another clear sign that the painful trip was over.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you two," Melanie said. "Your efforts saved our lives, both at my village and in ensuring that the bulk of Team Rocket was unable to attack us on our journey. I've already thanked Aaron for his part in all of this, but we owe you our lives as well."

"Right," Aoba nodded. "If it wasn't for you two, along with Aaron, I would have never made it out of that forest alive. Thank you for saving my life."

"Uh," Misty's face turned red and she looked down, shoulders hunched up.

"You're welcome," Brock said to Aoba. "And take care of yourself from here on out, I'd hate to see our work wasted." The former gym leader then turned to Melanie, opened his mouth to say something, and then started blushing.

(Ash didn't get why Brock blushed when dealing with Melanie's gratitude and not Aoba's. The pokéraised boy found it to be very strange.)

"And, uh, Melanie…. I'm- uh, sorry again about your village," Brock managed to sputter to the blue-haired woman. "We could, uh try to salvage more if you want? Or, uh, um, ah, we could take you to wherever you want to go next."

"I'm sorry, but I do believe that I will be staying here for the foreseeable future," Melanie replied. "So, thank you for the offer, but I must decline."

Brock slumped in his seat, looking dejected to the point where Ash was surprised that he couldn't see the older boy's spirit fly away from his body.

Misty started to giggle, and though he knew he wasn't understanding the entire joke, Ash joined her.

* * *

Even though the return of Brock and Misty had lifted Ash's spirits, it wasn't enough to stop the nightmares. They returned, no better and no worse than any of the previous nights.

The next morning Ash woke up and stumbled into the cafeteria to find a bleary-eyed Misty watching on in envy as Brock, Aoba, and Melanie all enjoyed caffeinated drinks. Ash joined them for breakfast and there was a quick discussion of future plans.

In the end, Ash agreed to stay another week so that the pokémon center staff could monitor everyone's health and so they could remove Ash's stiches before he left. After that, Ash finished his breakfast, enjoyed the luxury of showering, and then got ready for another day at the pokémon center.

He and his pokémon had another intense training session before lunch. Ash focused on improving Pikachu's endurance, Butterfree's physical combat skills, and worked with Pidgeotto to develop another Gust variant.

He worked with Charmander to help the pokémon learn some new moves. Using Fire Bloom as a base, Ash hoped that Charmander would be able to learn Fire Fang. After that, they would work on Dragon Breath to give the diminutive fire-type a long-range option.

Ash and Squirtle focused on improving the water-type's fundamentals. Ash came up with a series of drills for Squirtle to improve both their special and physical attacks. The water-type took to them with gusto.

Bulbasaur was the hardest pokémon for Ash to train.

_It's gonna be awhile before I can learn Solar Beam, _the grass-type told his new trainer. _And I don't need any new moves other than that._

_There's got to be something, _Ash replied, scrolling through his list of moves that a bulbasaur could learn on his pokédex. _What about Seed Bomb?_

_Leach Seed and Razor Leaf do pretty much the same thing._

_I guess you'll say the same thing about Bullet Seed, _Ash muttered. _Let's see…. How about Double Team?_

_Ain't my style._

_Substitute?_

_Again, ain't my style._

_Giga Drain?_

_Got Leach Seed, _Bulbasaur told Ash.

_Right, right, right, _Ash muttered, scrolling through the moves once more.

_You ain't gonna find anything, _Bulbasaur said, looking at his trainer studying his pokédex. _Let's just focus on me getting used to working with your team._

_What about Energy Ball? _Ash suggested.

_What? I've never heard of that move before, _Bulbasaur said, walking over to Ash to peer at the boy's pokédex. _What's it do?_

_You gather energy from around you and shoot it as a ball, _Ash explained._ Looking at the description it seems like it might be similar enough to Solar Beam that we could use it to help you learn Solar Beam later._

_That ain't a half bad idea, _Bulbasuar muttered as the pokédex played a quick video clip of the move. _I guess we can work on that._

So, Ash worked with Bulbasaur to teach the grass-type Energy Ball, along with general conditioning and teamwork practice. When it was lunchtime the entire team was panting and lathered in sweat.

_I really wish your back was healed so you could suffer with us, _Pikachu managed to get out between pants, laying on the grass by the pokémon center.

_I wish I could exercise again too, _Ash agreed. His back was healed enough for normal activity, but the staff had warned against strenuous activity like exercise.

_Well, I'll settle for your suffering, but yes, if you're going to keep doing stupid things, then you need to exercise as well, _Pikachu said. _Now can we go eat?_

Ash recalled his team, picked up Pikachu, and ushered them inside for lunch. Ash enjoyed another luxury, a hot meal, while his pokémon enjoyed their usual fare of pokéchow. After that they were recalled so that they could rest until evening when there would be another training session. Pikachu draped himself around Ash's neck like a scarf, and slept while his trainer went to the pokémon center lobby.

Ash sat down in one of the plush chairs, set the sleeping Pikachu on the arm, and stared at the wall. He knew he needed to find something to do or the listlessness would return. He also knew that there was nothing he wanted to do but train his pokémon.

In the end his thoughts returned to the crying hunter and the assumptions that the dead man had shattered. Just as the boy had feared.

Ash sat in the chair, struggling with his thoughts, as an unknown amount of time passed.

"Aaron, are you okay?" Ash jerked out of his reverie when he heard a soft voice speak up beside him. He turned to find Misty crouching by the chair, staring at his face and looking concerned.

"I'm fine," Ash said, but even he could tell that it hadn't been very convincing. Misty's skeptical expression just confirmed it. Ash looked down at his lap and started fidgeting with his hands.

"Aaron," Misty said after the better part of a minute. "Do you have anywhere you need to go this afternoon?"

"No," Ash replied, still looking at his hands in his lap. "Why?"

"Then, do you mind coming with me," Misty said and Ash felt a tugging on his shirt. It reminded him that he needed to buy some replacement jackets at some point.

"Why?" Ash asked, half-rising from his chair.

"I just want to go somewhere," Misty told him. "Come on."

* * *

Misty took Ash outside and into the forest, with an escort of two gym trainers who wanted to go look for wild pokémon nearby. The gym trainers promised that they would stay within shouting distance, but out of Misty and Ash's way.

They hiked into the forest, following the creek by the pokémon center. The trees were starting to look bare and their dead leaves crunched and squelched beneath the humans' feet. Sunlight filtered down through the branches, illuminating the vibrant colors on the forest floor and glittering off of the creek's running water.

The musty smell of wet leaves was everywhere. A chill breeze caused the branches to gently sway and swept up loose leaves, creating rustling whisper throughout the forest, complemented by the high-pitched songs of flying-types as they prepared for the upcoming winter. Ash zipped up the spare pink hoodie, the one he had borrowed from Misty for the hike, to guard against the mild cold.

They eventually came to another small waterfall by a pond. Orange and red leaves slowly floated around the surface of the pond, covering the crystal-clear water beneath. Ash saw tiny shapes moving near the bottom; they might have been fish or small pokémon. Reflected sunlight glinted off the water's surface, making the whole area seem a bit brighter than the surrounding forest.

"Here," Misty said, dragging Ash over to a large rock by the pond, while the gym trainers ventured further out into the forest to look for pokémon. Misty took off her own hoodie and spread it over the rock. "Let's sit here."

"Won't you get cold?" Ash asked. "And won't your shirt get dirty?"

"I'm fine, I've gone swimming in colder weather," Misty said sitting down on one edge of her improvised cushion and patting the other side. "And these shirts clean easily. Don't worry and just take a seat."

Ash complied. Misty didn't say anything else and Ash didn't feel the urge to talk either. He just sat and looked out at the autumn woods and the sunny pond.

After a few minutes of silence, Misty spoke up. "I've got two minds about places like this. There's not enough water to have any strong water-type pokémon but these places are great if you need to take a quick swim."

Ash didn't say anything.

"Of course, you should always have a water-type pokémon with you in these situations," Misty went on. "Because sometimes you dive into what you think is an empty lake and find out that it's the territory of a male poliwrath during mating season and they think everything that lacks the proper pheromones is a rival male."

Ash didn't say anything to that either.

"That was exciting," Misty went on and Ash could hear the grin in her voice. "But I wouldn't want to repeat the experience. But yeah, most of these places don't have anything as interesting as that."

Ash continued to be silent.

"Do you have any places like this," Ash saw Misty gesture at the surrounding area out of the corner of his eye, "that you want to talk about?"

"I-" Ash gazed out at the gleaming pond as he gave some thought to her question. He had liked living by Lavender Town, even if he had missed human interaction while living there. "I like the place near the bottoms of the mountains."

"What do you like about them?"

Ash simply shrugged.

"Come on, there's got to be something you can say about them."

"I guess," Ash took a breath while trying to think of an answer, "I guess I liked the way you had rock places and forest places for different pokémon. And I guess I sorta liked the weather."

"What did you like about the weather?" Misty asked. Ash saw her studying him out of the corner of his eye.

"I liked the, uh, fog you got in the morning," Ash explained. "And I liked how everything looked when it was sunny. I hated the winters at first, but that was just because I couldn't go outside to play."

"Your parents were worried that you would get sick?"

"Pretty much," Ash said, shrugging and rubbing the back of his head. His caretakers had good reason to be wary; after all it was very difficult for three pokémon to arrange a visit to the doctor's office.

"So, you used to live around some foothills then?" Misty went on. "Uh…. You said that you used to live in Lavender Town, right?"

"Yeah," Ash replied.

"Was that where you lived by the foothills?"

"Yeah."

There was another stretch of silence. Ash returned to staring at the scenery again.

Eventually he heard Misty take a deep breath and then she started talking again. "So, this year hasn't been the best for me."

Ash turned to look at her. The orange-haired girl was staring ahead as she spoke.

"There's been a lot of stuff happening that I don't really know how to deal with," she went on, her viridian eyes probing the pond's depths. "I nearly got killed. I nearly got you killed. And I had to kill some people. Not directly, I would've been a real mess if that was the case, but I still told my pokémon to attack them and I have to live with that."

Ash grimaced. He remembered the man that she had attacked with Ice Beams. It was something he hadn't thought about before; most of his memories of that night were about his flight and then his fights with the electrabuzz and the tyranitar.

"And then there was the whole thing with my sisters and with the police in Pewter City," Misty continued. "That was…. uncomfortable."

Ash shrugged.

"Finally, we had to deal with Team Rocket here," Misty said. "I had to have my pokémon attack some more people. And I have to learn how to live with that again."

Ash was silent again.

"I haven't been sleeping the best," Misty told the boy. "And I've had a few other problems. It's something I'm going to have to work on. I might need some help down the line."

Ash was still silent.

"And I'm telling you all of this because I think there are some things that you need help with too," Misty finally turned to look Ash in the eyes. "Aaron, I know you went over the basics of what happened to you, but I think there were things you left out."

Ash knew that there was plenty that he had left out. But it was nothing that any humans should be concerned about.

"Aaron, did you have to kill anyone?" Misty asked.

Ash hesitated before answering. He hadn't needed to order his pokémon to attack anyone. But the pokémon under his command had killed. Bulbasaur had killed two people and a pokémon right in front of him and Ash hadn't done anything to stop him. The Squirtle Squad, and maybe Ash's own team had killed those three humans and the beedrill while he was gone.

"Maybe," Ash said in a small voice. "I didn't tell them to, but pokémon still killed people."

"Do you think they were wrong?"

"No," Ash said, even quieter. "But I think I could have done better."

"Is that what's been bothering you today?" Misty asked.

Ash almost said yes. It wouldn't have quite been a lie and it would have stopped his travelling companion from digging too deeply. It would have been the safe thing to do.

But it didn't feel right to tell a lie by the gleaming pond. It didn't feel right to lie after Misty had been honest with him.

"No," Ash admitted. "It doesn't feel good, but it wasn't something I was thinking about."

"What is it then?" Misty asked, reaching out and letting her fingertips rest lightly on the boy's shoulder. The sensation was strange, but it was also somewhat comforting.

Ash took a deep breath before answering. "He was crying."

"Who was?"

"One of the hunters. Bulbasaur killed one of his teammates and he cried over him." Ash returned to the memory that had been bothering him since they got out of the forest. "He knew what it's like to be hurt, but he was still trying to hurt people."

"Did you think that that people like him didn't know how that feels?" Misty asked.

"Of course," Ash replied, quickly, almost indignant. "If you know what it's like to be hurt, why would you want to hurt someone if you didn't have to?"

Misty sighed. "It's a good question."

"You don't know why?"

"I didn't really think about it too much," Misty answered. "At least, you know, not in the abstract general sense. I can probably answer the question for more specific situations."

"Okay, then why did the people attacking us think it was okay?" Ash asked. "Even though they knew what it was like to be hurting and scared."

"Did you pay much attention in history class?" Misty asked in return, shrugging. "Team Rocket is a criminal slash terrorist organization today, but they used to be different. They were a political group, and in some places, an actual government. They had a flag and a cause. And there was a war-"

It was a war that Ash knew a lot about, after hearing about it from pokémon who had fought in the front lines of the war. Though, now that Ash thought about it, he knew less than he thought he did. In the stories that Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl had told, Ash had always imagined Team Rocket in a similar manner to his hunters; he had never thought of them as people.

"-and they lost, but they hid together and told each other that they needed to still win," Misty went on. "Or at least something like that. I haven't had a history class in a year. The point is, Team Rocket once had a cause and act like they still do, when they really only have each other. And that's how they justify what they do. They're doing it for each other and their lost cause."

"That doesn't seem very….. That can't be it," Ash shook his head. "There has to be more to it than that."

"Maybe," Misty shrugged. "I've killed people because I thought I needed to-"

"They were going to kill you first though!" Ash protested loudly, sitting up straight and clenching his fists by his sides. "You really did need to!"

"And I'm sure they convinced themselves that they needed to as well," Misty replied looking at the ground. "Maybe that's your answer, because people convince themselves that they need to hurt others."

"That can't be it," Ash shook his head. "There's got to be something else."

"I don't know then," Misty sighed. "But I don't think you're going to get a better answer soon."

Ash stood up; fist still clenched. "Well then, I'll just look for one!" Ash declared, pumping his fist. "I'm travelling and getting stronger anyway. I can look for a answer too!"

And he could, Ash realized. He had become a trainer because he needed to be strong enough to fight his hunters so he could really live as a human. But there was more to living as a human than television, hot showers, soft beds, and warm meals. He also needed to learn more about his species; not just how they acted, but why they acted the way they did.

And maybe, just maybe, Ash could make the human world better. Just like his caretakers' trainer had done. Just like so many of his friends and comrades had done.

Just like Misty had done when she saved him. Just like Brock had done when he had defended Pewter City. Just like Melanie had done when she had set up her village.

Ash had decided that he hadn't wanted to live like a pokémon because there was too much death in that life; the circle of predators and prey. Part of him had always thought that the human world would be different, that the blood and death that marked his exit from that life was an extreme aberration.

Ash was learning that it wasn't as extreme of an aberration as he had thought. But the examples of everyone who did their best to push against those situations, who tried to make the world better instead of dragging it further into a pool of blood and fire; those people were proof that Ash hadn't been wrong in wanting to live like a human.

Learning the answer to his big question would help him with that struggle, Ash thought. He could make the human world even better. And he would learn and he would help, or his name wasn't Ash Ketchum!

"Okay, Aaron," Misty said, raising one eyebrow at his declaration. "If that's what you need to do, then that's what you need to do."

"Yeah," Ash nodded at her and then smiled. He was surprised to realize that he was feeling much better. "Thanks Misty. This helped!"

"I'm glad," Misty grinned back at him. "Now do you want to go back to the center or do you want to see if there's any water type pokémon in the pond?"

* * *

The pair, plus the gym trainers, returned to the pokémon center with damp shoes and ankles, having had a nice time exploring the pond and creek, but finding no pokémon in the water. When they got back to the center Ash swapped out his socks and shoes for a spare set. After that he wandered back to the pokémon center lobby.

"Hey, Aaron." Brock was there, fiddling with some of his bags. "Are you free for dinner? There's something I want to try cooking and I could use a hand with it."

"Sure," Ash agreed.

Brock nodded and then returned to fiddling with his bags. He separated a few smaller bags, some of which banged and clanked, from the rest of the group, and then stood up and left the lobby. Ash followed him.

The two went outside and found a small fire pit that previous occupants of the center had dug. They gathered some firewood from the nearby woods, Brock keeping an eye on Ash the whole time. They started a small fire and Brock got out his camping cooking gear.

"I just want to see if I can manage to properly cook some tempura using this stuff," Brock explained as he heated up his pan. "And maybe I can get better at preparing miso. I swear it shouldn't be this hard to make when camping."

"I think it's good though," Ash replied.

"It's passable," Brock disagreed. "But it's not up to my standards. Here, fill this pot, would you?"

The fire crackled merrily as Ash assisted Brock in preparing the meal. Water was fetched, ingredients were measured, and vegetables were chopped. When it was all complete, Ash sat on the ground next to the fire and watched as Brock finished up.

"So, is there anything you want to talk about?" Brock asked as he set the miso to simmer.

"Sort of?" Ash shrugged. "But I think I already did that with Misty."

"So that's what you two were up to," Brock nodded. "Did it help?"

"Yeah," Ash leaned back, watching the cooking fire.

"That's good to hear." Brock sat down on the other side of the fire. "But there might be more you need to do."

"Huh?"

"Whenever you're….. shall we say feeling down about what happened," Brock said, looking into the fire, "there are some things you should and shouldn't do. Don't try and isolate yourself for one."

"Okay," Ash replied with a shrug. Days like the current one, where Pikachu wasn't constantly with him, were rare, so Ash didn't think he would have to worry about isolating himself.

"Maybe try to exercise too, that can be very helpful," Brock went on. "And do some breathing exercises if you know any."

"Sure," Ash shrugged. He did know a few from his mental defense training.

"Make sure to get plenty of sleep, that's very important," Brock said, leaning over to check on his simmering soup.

"I thought I did?" Ash tilted his head.

"Then keep it up," Brock replied. "Trust me, things get severely worse when you're not sleeping."

"Alright."

Brock sighed. "There's some more you can do, but I don't know how to explain it very well. Erika- A fellow gym leader-" Brock explained when he caught Ash's questioning look "-was the one to teach them to me. It's about examining how you're thinking of what's bothering you and working to correct any problems there."

Ash just shrugged.

"Well, hopefully you won't need it," Brock sighed again. "If you do, I'll see if I can't arrange something with Erika when we stop by Celadon City."

Ash hadn't thought that far ahead. He had been focused on simply reaching the next gym before he had stumbled over Melanie and Aoba. And he had honestly believed that Brock and Misty would have quit travelling him after that, after he had proved that he didn't need babysitting. Ash had been looking forward to that even.

But, now that he was giving the matter some thought, Ash realized two things.

First was that if they hadn't been travelling with him, then he doubted Aoba, Melanie, and all the pokémon at Melanie's village would have been saved.

Second was that he wasn't sure that he did want to travel without them. Ash remembered how he had been pleased to meet up with them again. He would almost certainly miss them if they went their separate ways.

"Sure," Ash replied as Brock stirred the soup. "We can do that."

* * *

The week passed surprisingly quickly. Ash continued to enjoy the luxuries of the pokémon center, though Brock and Misty seemed less than pleased with their accommodations.

"I really don't see how you can look so happy eating this stuff," Brock had said to Ash one day, while the pokéraised child was shoveling more cheap food from the buffet into his mouth. Brock was looking at the food with an expression of disgust.

"Well…." Ash wasn't sure what to say to that. "It's hot food. Isn't that enough?"

Brock's expression was strange in a way that Ash couldn't quite place. He was worried that he had said the wrong thing and somehow told Brock too much.

"Wow, you must've really hated roughing it," Brock said eventually. "You didn't cook before we started traveling together, right?"

"Right," Ash nodded.

"Huh, and you were still willing to go on your trainer's journey like that?" Brock raised an eyebrow.

"Before I met you, I was eating different things," Ash replied. "Not those awful bars you gave me."

Brock actually laughed at that. "Yeah," he said when he was done, "those are really bad aren't they?"

Ash nodded eagerly, before shoving more center food into his mouth.

Misty, on the other hand, didn't have as big of a problem with the food. When Brock had pressed her on the topic sometime later in the week, all that she had to say was that it was better than her sisters' cooking.

The water-type specialist's problem was actually with the pokémon center's video phones. And with the fact that her sisters had used the publicly available set of pokémon center guest lists to track her down. They were calling her daily.

"Next time we stay at a pokémon center," Misty growled, "it will be somewhere where I can slip away and not have to deal with them. Aaron, tell your back to heal faster!"

Ash couldn't comply with that demand, but the week ended soon enough. The pokémon center staff removed his stiches and then he was ready to depart.

* * *

Everyone gathered outside, in front of the center. Ash had his whole team out of their pokéballs so that they could say their farewells.

_Be good and listen to Melanie now, _Bulbasaur said, nuzzling a crying Oddish.

_I'm going to miss you! _Oddish squeaked.

Squirtle and his squad mates were huddled together, making a commotion of that was half cheering their departing leader on and half crying that they would miss him. Charmander, who had been sharing a hug with Melanie before he left, had been caught in their huddle, his expression caught between touched and panicked as they said their goodbyes to him as well.

After Bulbasaur was done exchanging goodbyes with Oddish, he turned to Melanie. She knelt down and gently rubbed the top of the grass-type's head. Bulbasaur nuzzled into her hand.

_Stay out of trouble now, ya hear? _Bulbasaur told her.

"Be good for Aaron now," Melanie told him. "And try to stay safe, won't you?"

_Why start now?_

"I hope that was you agreeing with me and not something along the lines of 'I've never been safe'," Melanie giggled. And then she hugged him. "You've been a great friend. Good luck, Bulbasaur."

_You're wonderful, _Bulbasaur told her. _I hope whatever you end up doing makes you happy. _

Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander eventually extracted themselves from their respective farewells and rejoined Ash, who was standing with Brock and Misty by the path away from the pokémon center.

Aoba was making small talk with them while they waited for the newcomers to Ash's team to finish their goodbyes. Melanie joined them as Ash recalled his team.

"I know I've thanked you before," Aoba told them after Ash had finished getting ready to leave, "but I want to do it again. You saved my life and gave me a measure of justice. I can never repay you for all you've done."

"Not only did you save his life, but you saved the life of me and all the pokémon under my care," Melanie added. "I can also never repay you for everything."

"Uh," Ash turned as red as the top half of a pokéball and rubbed the back of his head. "Just stay safe, I guess?"

"I'll try and do that," Aoba told the boy. He held out a hand. Still blushing, Ash stepped forward and shook it. "Thanks again Aaron, and good luck on your journey."

"Good luck to you too!" Ash exclaimed before turning to Melanie. "And try to stay out of trouble!"

"I can't make any promises," Melanie told the boy with a gentle smile on her face. "And I think, if we asked you to stay safe, you'd say the same thing."

"Maybe," Ash agreed, smiling back.

"Good luck," Melanie said, wrapping Ash in a gentle hug.

"Same to you!" Ash returned the hug.

"And, of course, we need to thank you two again as well," Melanie said to Brock and Misty after she released Ash from the hug.

"No, that's alright," Brock waved away her concerns, blushing even more furiously than Ash. "This was mainly Aaron's idea."

"Do you expect me to believe that you wouldn't have helped us if Aaron wasn't there," Melanie asked, raising one eyebrow.

"No, but, well, I'd have probably done it differently," Brock admitted.

"Then thank you," Melanie said, giving Brock a hug as well. The former gym leader turned so scarlet that Ash expected to see steam rising form his head, even after she released him. The blue-haired woman then turned to Misty.

"And thank you too," Melanie said, giving one more hug, this time to Misty.

"It was no problem," Misty replied, smiling and returning the hug. Melanie gave her a squeeze and then stepped back, rejoining Aoba, the Squirtle Squad, and the pokémon from the village.

"Goodbye!" She said, waving to the trio.

"Be seeing you!" Aoba said, waving as well.

"Take care of yourselves now!" Misty waved back.

"Yeah," Brock managed to stutter.

"And thank you for everything too!" Ash said. He then turned around and started walking down the path leading away from the pokémon center. Brock and Misty followed him.

And with that, they were off.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist and laurwest for beta reading.

(I don't make it easy for them. Sometimes I have grammar errors in my character's dialogue that's meant to be them making the mistake and I've got enough spelling and grammar errors in the other parts of the fic that my poor beta readers can't tell the difference... BWHAHAHAHA)

Misty being okay with Ash's injury after hearing the reason for it was taken from the episode of Pokemon Chronicles where she takes a hit for her gyarados. Well, several hits, it was an anime Poison Sting attack, which is a constant stream of needles. I figured it was a nice character moment to make use of.

And this arc is finally done.

Don't forget to comment/review!


	35. Chapter 35

Giovanni pinched his nose and sighed.

Yet again he found himself in the conference room and once more it was due to troubling events. Archer and Ariana sat on either side of him. Other executives and one scarred woman filled the rest of the seats.

"Elite Officer Aki," Giovanni addressed the scarred woman. "I am afraid that we have received confirmation that the target is in League custody. What's more, Dave's team has been confirmed as deceased."

Aki's face went pale at the announcement. She closed her eyes and swallowed. When her eyes opened again, they seemed to be wetter than before.

"All of them, sir?" She asked in a barely controlled voice.

"Yes," Giovanni said. "I've gone over the reports from your subordinates. You performed admirably given the circumstances."

"If you say so sir," Aki voice was thick, like she was holding back tears, "but it sure doesn't feel like it."

"True," Giovanni nodded at her. "But you were intercepted by a gym leader, who, by all accounts, should not have been anywhere near the area of operations. And I went over Officer Dave's original plan to eliminate the target. It seems like it was simple misfortune that you were in the situation to begin with."

"Yes sir," Aki replied, expression flat and voice still thick.

"Ariana, if you would?" Giovanni said, shooting a glance at his subordinate. Arianne nodded and stood up.

"Elite Officer Aki, you are hereby placed on medical leave for the next two weeks, and I would advise you to take some personal leave after that," Ariana told the other woman. "Get yourself back together before you try to do anything else."

"Yes ma'am," Aki saluted.

"Dismissed," Arianne said. Aki nodded and walked out of the room while Arianne sat back down.

As soon as the scarred woman left the room, the head of Tracking stood up and began talking. "Sir, I would like to take full responsibility-"

Giovanni raised his hand to quiet the man.

"There's no reason for you to take responsibility for this," the leader of Team Rocket said. "You just did what I had ordered you to do." The head of Tracking sat down and the room was silent for a moment, before Giovanni sighed again.

"This has left us in a precarious situation," he told the room.

"All the other targets were eliminated," Archer said, looking at some papers in front of him. "Only Officer Dave's target escaped. It's possible that the League won't be able to get any actionable intelligence about our plans from that one source."

"We can hope, but we can't assume that will be the case," Giovanni stood up and walked over to the hallway window, hands clasped behind his back. "We're going to need a new plan."

Everyone in the room was silent. People shuffled papers, opened laptops, or went to the room's whiteboard and began to jot things down. Giovanni continued to stare out the window, lost in thought.

"The target only had intelligence related to Operation Stolen Fire, right?" Ariana said after some time had passed.

"Correct," Giovanni said without turning around.

"Operation Totality and Operation Thought-Leech are still uncompromised then," Ariana went on, chewing on her lip.

"As far as we know," Giovanni still hadn't turned around.

"I think I know a way to protect Stolen Fire using our other operations," Ariana said. "Let's give them some bread crumbs relating to Totality. Let's make them think that Operation Totality is our main objective."

"And take extra steps to hide Thought-Leech," Archer added, nodding, seeing where Ariana was going. "We can let the League know that we're planning in Saffron, but we can let them focus on the wrong thing."

Giovanni looked at the ceiling in thought for a moment.

"Totality was meant to succeed whether or not Thought-Leech succeeded," Giovanni said, finally turning around to address his subordinates. "If we tip the League off about Totality, then the only way it will succeed is if Mind-Leech succeeds. And Stolen Fire absolutely requires Totality."

"Mind-Leech is too delicate to expose to the League," Ariana replied meeting Giovanni's eyes. "I disagree with you about Totality. Even with the League snooping around it will still stand a chance of success without Mind-Leech."

"You're willing to risk that?" Giovanni held her gaze as he asked the question.

"Yes sir, I am." Ariana replied.

"Then I'll take your word for it," Giovanni said, sitting back down. "Archer, Ariana, I want a new timetable for Totality and Mind-Leech on my desk first thing in the morning. We'll hammer out the details and budgets later. Tracking, Operations, I want you to make a list of all the resources you can spare. R&D I'll want a status update on all our major projects in two days."

There were various responses of affirmation.

"Good, dismissed."

* * *

Giovanni found himself in his sitting room once again, nursing another glass of his expensive liquor. He stared into the fire, lost in thought.

Just what had Brock been doing in the wilds between Saffron and Vermillion? Last that he had heard, the former gym leader was supposed to be doing a favor for Professor Oak. Something about a trainer that the former champion had given a starter to…

Except it was highly improbably that such a thing was the case, Giovanni concluded. It was more likely that Brock going inactive as a gym leader was just a cover story to mask his movements. Someone in the League must have known that Team Rocket had active operations in the area and sent Brock there to disrupt them.

It was more evidence that there was a leak in his organization. Just like what had happened to his operative in Pewter City.

Giovanni frowned. He needed to know just how far the leak went. Most likely it was only a partial leak; if the entire organization was compromised then he doubted that he would be sitting comfortably in this room.

Stolen Fire itself was probably safe. Only one target had escaped, though it was the target that they could least afford to let escape. That scientist had known too much about Me-

Giovanni stopped himself from completing the thought. He had no desire to alert the abomination.

Using Operation Totality as a distraction was probably a good idea. Ariana was probably already planning how to plant false leads that tied the Cinnabar lab with Masterball technology. Maybe she was even planning on framing Team Rocket for the recent (natural) demise of a Silph Co. executive.

While she was working, Giovanni resolved that he would have to monitor the other gym leaders extra closely in the upcoming days to make sure that they had really taken the bait. He would also have to figure out who Brock was working with.

And he would also need a way to permanently plug the leak.

* * *

"Ugh. It's going to rain, isn't it," a young man wearing a blue uniform with a yellow belt, the uniform of the Saffron City gym, complained. He was looking up at the overcast sky.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have taken so long to find their campsite," said, another man with brown hair and black eyes, wearing a grey longcoat.

"Well Torch, the witnesses were only able to give us the location of the Rocket's bodies," the first man complained. "They didn't have any idea where the camp was."

The two men stood in a clearing with a used firepit and several utilitarian tents, the campsite that Team Rocket had been using while they attempted to murder the witnesses currently at the Yin-Li Pokémon Center. Several other people milled about, most of them wearing either police uniforms or the Saffron Gym uniforms.

"That's what you and the trackers were for numbnuts," Torch replied. "If you didn't want to get rained on then you should have done a better job finding this place."

"Oh, there is just no talking to you!" the first man threw up his hands and stomped away.

Torch shot a grin at the retreating man's back and then turned around. He looked at everyone else milling about and then sighed.

"Why couldn't they have just left a notebook labelled 'Our Nefarious Plans' for us to find?" He groaned. "It would make everything so much easier."

He wandered through camp until he came across a woman sitting in the lotus position. She had long dark-green hair and was wearing a purple and black uniform. Her eyes were closed.

"Do you have to bother me right now?" The woman said without opening her eyes.

"I've got nothing better to do. Any luck?" Torch asked.

"No," the woman said in a tight voice. "There's no residue for me to pick up on. They must have had their ralts wipe the place down before they left."

"I hate it when the bad guys think ahead," Torch sighed, glancing up at the sky.

"And I hate it when you talk to me," the woman replied.

"Oh, Sabrina, you know you can't get enough of me," Torch grinned at her.

"Oh yes, everyone loves being bothered by a man stuck in permanent puberty," Sabrina said. She hadn't opened her eyes, but tone made it clear that she would be rolling them if she had.

"It's part of my boyish charm!"

"You are certainly childish. And how does that saying go again? 'Children should be seen and not heard'."

"I agree, everyone loves looking at my body! And I love it when they look at it too!"

"Cameron was right, there is just no talking to you," Sabrina sighed and opened her violet eyes.

"Well, I'm always open for you and your boyfriend to do other things with me," Torch said, waggling his eyebrows.

"No thanks," Sabrina said, her voice dry as she stood up. "I'm afraid both of our standards are far too high for take-out from the gutter."

"Take-out? Take-out!?" Torch gasped. "I am so much more long term than take-out!"

"I doubt that," Sabrina said, rolling her eyes as she walked away. She went to the center of the camp.

"Has anyone found anything useful yet?" Sabrina called out to the police and gym trainers gathered around.

Various calls of denial greeted her and she sighed. Sabrina looked up at the overcast sky above, at the worrying dark grey coloration, and then winced at the rapidly dropping air pressure.

"Hurry it up people!" She called out. "Bag everything you can! We can have techs go over it later! Just get anything that might be evidence out of here."

"Looks like it's gonna rain," Torch said, coming up behind her. "Good thing I thought ahead and brought something suitable for the weather."

"It was a clear sky earlier today," Sabrina said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be clairvoyant? Shouldn't you have seen the rain coming?" Torch said, giving her a shit-eating grin.

"I didn't look, because we weren't supposed to be out this long," Sabrina said, glaring at the man. He just continued to grin back at her.

Sabrina growled and then stomped off to deal with other matters.

Ten minutes a sprinkle started.

"I could be at home, warm, and being cuddled," Sabrina muttered angrily as she helped pack some personal items. "But noooo… I just had to decide to accompany the investigative team in person in case there was some residue that only I could pick up…"

"Hmmm… is Atushi offering the warm cuddles?" Torch said appearing beside her. He had donned a grey rain hat to go with his coat as soon as water started falling. "Can I get some warm Atushi cuddles?"

Thunder rumbled somewhere far off and the sprinkle turned into a deluge. Sabrina's eye began to twitch.

"Everyone! We're done here!" She shouted. "Get back to the pokémon center!"

"Cutting and running so soon?" Torch said. "Well I guess it's at least warm at the pokémon center, even if there are no cuddles…."

"I'm not going back to the pokémon center," Sabrina shot back, wearing a wicked grin of her own. An invisible force pushed Torch's hat from his head and sent it flying off into the woods. Sabrina then gave him a gesture that consisted of a single finger, before vanishing with a loud popping sound.

Torch laughed and went off to find his hat.

* * *

Sabrina sat down on her couch, idly wondered about the pros and cons of installing a fireplace in her living room. On one hand a lot of work would have to be done to add one; the room would need to be remodeled and the building would need to have a chimney added. One the other hand she could have a merry fire going while she went over reports.

She took off the damp towel that she had been using to dry off her hair and leaned forward to grab the reports she had gathered on the coffee table. She leaned back, grabbed the arm of the other occupant of the couch and draped it around her shoulders.

"Bad day?" The owner of the arm, her boyfriend Atushi, asked. He was a thin man, a little on the short side, with black hair, black eyes, and a gentle face. He had been looking over some paperwork of his own before his arm had been commandeered.

"It took us hours to find the campsite and they had psychically wiped the place down before they left and I don't think we found any useful physical evidence," Sabrina complained, leaning back into the couch and Atushi's shoulder. "It was an absolute waste of time."

"At least you don't have to worry about it anymore," Atushi replied, setting down his own paperwork.

"How was your day?" Sabrina asked while she began skimming over her own stack of reports.

"As boring as ever," the man replied. "Accounting's not a profession you go into if you're looking for excitement."

"Wasn't your calligraphy club supposed to meet today?"

"It was cancelled."

"Well, at least you got to look forward to coming here and basking in my presence," Sabrina said stretching and leaning her head into his neck. Atsushi went slightly red and coughed.

"Well, maybe," he admitted before reaching over to the end table and grabbing a book.

They didn't talk much after that, both focusing on their readings.

Sabrina reached the part of her reports that dealt with the testimony the group that Team Rocket had been trying to kill.

According to the testimony of the trainer who had taken it upon himself to guard the target (Sabrina quickly looked up the names; the target's name was Aoba and the trainer's name was Aaron), the Rockets had claimed that they didn't know why Aoba had been targeted. Aoba thought that it might be related to some genetic experiments that he had worked on in Cinnabar.

The person who had compiled the report had tried to get more data on said experiments, but the data was sparse. The Cinnabar taxation and zoning records were able to confirm that some sort of experiments had taken place, but there was nothing as to the specifics.

Sabrina made a mental to investigate the experiments further. Whatever happened there would probably be a clue as to Team Rocket's motivation. And maybe even why they had been so active as of late.

Sabrina also made a mental note to interview this Aoba in person. She could probably teleport down to the pokémon center tomorrow to get it done.

She also toyed with the idea of talking with the trainer, Aaron, in person. And maybe trying to convince him to accept protective custody, at least temporarily

(She then glanced at the next line of the report, the one about his traveling companions, and decided that the entire thing was a moot point anyway.)

Operations around Viridian. An attack on Pewter with multiple break-ins. And now an assassination attempt in her own backyard. Sabrina chewed on the inside of her cheek while she thought.

Team Rocket had been lying low for years. Most of the operations that the police and League had uncovered had been centered around theft, smuggling, and pokémon trafficking. Everyone had thought that Team Rocket had finally finished the transition from a political entity seeking domination to a criminal entity seeking profit.

But recent events didn't fit that profile.

Sabrina wondered what it all meant. What was Team Rocket up to? And what did it mean for Kanto?

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank BlackCatSpecialist for beta reading.

Short chapter today. Just the usual in-between-arcs look at what Giovanni's up to and.

Next week we'll get to the Vermilion Gym, which some of you seem to have been waiting for.

Don't forget to review!


	36. Chapter 36

Autumn was giving way to winter and yet the sun still shone bright over Vermillion City. Ash looked out of his room in the pokémon center and at the port city beyond.

Wingulls cried overhead as people went about their business. A calm ocean glimmered under the late autumn sun and the sea breeze carried salt tinged air throughout the town. There were no skyscrapers in sight but there were still more people gathered together than Ash had seen in a very long time.

Ash tugged on his new jacket. During the weeks of travel between Lin-Yi Pokémon Center and the city, Ash had managed to stop by a small village and replace his destroyed clothing and sleeping bag. It had been a relief not to have to borrow things from Brock and Misty anymore.

_Ah, civilization! _Pikachu exclaimed while he was lying back Ash's bed. _How I've missed it! How good it is to return to the joys of television and free electricity! _

_ You better not have been chewing on any wires, _Ash warned. _I don't have the money to pay for damages. _

_ Don't worry, _Pikachu waved away his trainer's concerns. _I know how to not get caught._

_ Didn't we meet because Professor Oak caught you chewing on his wires? And didn't you say that people usually captured and released you away from them? _

_Okay, maybe I've made the occasional mistake and gotten caught, _Pikachu admitted, sitting up. _But come on, there's so many places to get a quick shock in a city like this!_

_ No! _Ash scolded, wagging a finger at Pikachu.

_ Spoilsport, _Pikachu muttered, crossing his forepaws and turning his back to Ash.

_Look, _Ash sighed, _the gym here specializes in electric types. Maybe after I get my advancement, we can ask them about legal ways to let you eat electricity or something. _

_ Fine, _Pikachu sighed as well, turning around to face his trainer. _We're doing that later today, right? _

_ Yep! _Ash replied. _I need the funds. But first, we need to get everyone fed. _

The two of them left their room (the pokémon center had enough vacancies for Brock, Misty, and Ash to each get a separate room) and then stopped by the cafeteria to grab a bag of pokéchow to go. Food in hand, Ash ventured out of the pokémon center and into the city.

He pulled his jacket tighter as the cool breeze washed over him. Ash sighed, knowing that winter wasn't far off. He recalled the winters in Lavender Town, where none of the local pokémon were active and there was nothing to do but sit in a cave and struggle to study.

They found a mostly deserted park. Ash let the rest of his team out of their pokéballs and then divvied up the food.

_Winter's coming and I don't need to fatten up, _Pidgeotto sighed as she pecked at her food. _If I had known that being a trained pokémon would so nice then I would have gotten caught years ago. _

_ Meh, food can be found just about anywhere if you know where to look, _Bulbasaur said between mouthfuls.

_ And maybe it takes too much energy to look, thank you very much, _Pidgeotto shot back.

_There's always food in dumpsters and the like, _Pikachu said. _I mean it's not good, but if you feel like eating something after snacking on electricity and don't feel like going back to the forest, it's convenient._

_ That's gross, _Ash and Charmander said in unison.

_I know humans don't have the best diets, but it wasn't that bad! _

_ I can't tell if I like this stuff or not, _Squirtle said as he picked at his pokéchow. _I mean it's filling, but it just doesn't taste exciting….. _

_ I know what you mean! _Butterfree replied, flapping his wings. _And the texture is strange too! Nothing like leaves! _

Everyone continued to chatter as the team ate. Once they were done, everyone huddled around Ash.

_Okay, so later today we're going to fight a gym battle. Hopefully we'll get a badge and some money out of it. _Ash told his assembled team. _They're supposed to specialize in electric types. _

_ I'm sitting this one out, _Pidgeotto said without hesitation. _I get shocked enough by the yellow menace on the team. _

_Hey! _Pikachu protested, shooting a glare at Pidgeotto.

_Ugh, electric types, _Squirtle groaned. _Me and the squad never tried to fight them if we could help it. Do you mind if I just listen to how you handle them? _

_ Sure, _Ash nodded. _Does anyone else want to sit the gym out? _

Buttefree, Charmander, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur all shook their heads.

_You sure Butterfree? _Ash asked. _They'll have type advantage on you. _

_ That's okay, _Butterfree replied. _That just means I'll just have to not get hit._

_ Okay, _Ash nodded and then turned to address the team as a whole. _You've all trained against Pikachu so you should have some idea of what to do. Don't wait for my instructions, just dodge right away._

_ I've never trained against Pikachu, _Pikachu said with a smirk. _Whatever shall I do? _

_ Hmmm….. _Ash hummed, walking to behind Pikachu. _ I'm told that TICKLING- _He bent over and his hands darted forward to catch Pikachu, his fingers digging into the pokémon's sides- _is a good strategy to use against pikachus! _

_ Hey! _Pikachu managed to choke out between fits of laughter as his trainer tortured him. _Stop that! _

_ Never! _Ash grinned.

_Why you- _Pikachu scrunched his cheeks in preparation for an attack, but Ash saw what was happening. He let go of Pikachu and darted around the yellow pokémon, letting the sudden shock pass through the space he had previously occupied and then resumed tickling his starter.

_You're getting predictable, _Ash grinned.

_Fine! I surrender! _Pikachu cried out as he squirmed. Ash quit tickling him.

_Gah, I hate you so much, _Pikachu muttered as he got back up.

The rest of Ash's team started laughing at that statement. Pikachu glared at them all.

_What is this, pick on Pikachu day? _He asked, crossing his arms and pouting.

_No, _Ash said, reaching down to rub the top of the electric type's head. _But it is 'get a little payback' day. _

_ Oh, fine, _Pikachu muttered. _Let's just go deal with this gym._

* * *

Ash stopped back by the pokémon center, meeting up with Brock and Misty, and then heading to the gym with the other two humans.

"So, Aaron," Brock said, his voice not quite sounding as casual as he probably intended, "where have you been today?"

Ash sighed. Ever since they left the Yin-Li Pokémon Center, Brock had been almost hovering over him. It had been hard to get a moment of privacy for the first week after they had resumed travelling. Ash couldn't figure out what the gym leader's problem had been, but thankfully Brock had toned it down after a week. He still had the tendency to try and track Ash's movements and he got testy when Ash went off without telling him about it first, but at least Ash could train in private.

"I fed my pokémon at the park," Ash replied, rolling his eyes.

"Okay." Brock said, his voice still pseudo-casual. "Uh, maybe in the future you can let someone know ahead of time before you go somewhere like that? Just so it's easier to find you if we need you?"

"Sure," Ash rolled his eyes again.

"Smell that sea air! Ah, now this is a proper port city," Misty said, staring out at the ocean as they passed by some docks. "It's so nice to be able to just walk from the pokémon center to the ocean."

"Couldn't you do that at your home?" Ash asked.

"No," Misty groaned. "It was a long walk to the river from the gym and you had to commute to port town if you wanted to get to the ocean. If I wanted to go to there, I needed to take the bus or ask my sisters for a ride." She shuddered while saying the last part.

Misty hadn't treated him much differently since they left the Yin-Li Pokémon Center. The only strange thing that Ash noticed about her was that she occasionally watched him, looking concerned. It might have been his imagination, but he thought it seemed to happen most often the mornings after he had a nightmare.

It was weird, but whatever was happening with her was less annoying than what was happening with Brock, so Ash just ignored it.

"Was it really so bad?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Misty exclaimed, hands up in a gesture of frustration. "They kept talking about romance and asking if I've met anyone, or if I wanted to take up acting, or synchronized swimming, or commit to underwater dancing. Ugh! No matter how many times I told them I want to focus on pokémon training, they wouldn't listen!"

"Well-"

"And don't you try any of that 'they care about you' older sibling crap!" Misty growled, wagging her finger under Brock's nose. "It doesn't change how annoying they were!"

"Okay," Brock said, palms up in surrender and then turned to Ash. "So, Aaron, do you have a strategy in mind for the gym?"

"Maybe," Ash shrugged. "It depends on what they have me do."

"You don't have a general strategy for dealing with electric types?" Brock asked.

_He alternates between insulting them, making them worry, and tickling them, _Pikachu huffed from Ash's shoulder.

"I guess? I've told my pokémon to do whatever they do against Pikachu at first," Ash told Brock. "I'll just tell them to do other stuff later."

"Well, if it works, it works." Brock shrugged.

They came to the Vermillion City Gym. It looked like a warehouse at first glance; squat, old, scuffed, and utilitarian. But someone had decorated the exterior with plaster yellow lightning bolts that crossed under the sign announcing that the building was the gym.

A few dejected looking people loitered outside.

"Is there a line?" Ash asked one of them.

"Depends, are you here to challenge the gym or are you here to use the pokémon center that's attached to the gym?" a glum young woman asked, arms crossed and staring down at her shoes.

"There's a pokémon center attached to the gym?" Ash inquired.

"Yeah," the woman said. "I'm waiting for my pokémon now. Surge doesn't really believe in holding back."

"I heard some gossip about that," Brock commented, stroking his chin. "Surge believes in tough love. An attached pokémon center means he can be even tougher."

"He needs to learn to hold back, that's what he needs to learn," the woman said and then sighed. "My poor Sudowoodo."

"But is there a line to challenge the gym?" Ash asked again.

"No, but I imagine you'll be in this line soon," the young woman said darkly.

"Okay! Thanks!" Ash said smiling and giving her a wave before he rushed into the gym.

* * *

Ash gave his trainer's license to the receptionist at the front desk, who entered his information, gave him back his card, and waved him on. Ash thanked her and almost ran through the door.

He entered into a large dark room. The pokéraised child looked around, trying to figure out where he should go from there.

"Hello!?" Ash cupped his hands around his mouth and called out into the darkness. "Is anyone there?"

Lights clicked and flickered on, revealing an industrial looking stadium consisting of sparse brown concrete walls and floors. There were two clear dividers, with some small sliding panels, one on either side of the room. Ash recognized them as the trainer safety barriers.

On the other side of the room stood three men, lounging about, leaning on walls and pillars. They were all wearing dark green uniforms that looked like military uniforms from out of Ash's old textbooks. One had dark brown hair, one had bluish black hair, and the third one, a giant of a man, had spiky blond hair.

"Well, well, well, a tyke has come to play!" The blonde man boomed. "Awww, he brought his widdle baby pokémon too!"

_Keep talking bub, _Pikachu muttered from Ash's shoulder._ I will enjoy making you choke on those words. _

"I like their dramatic reveal," Ash heard Brock mutter behind him.

"Didn't you used to have one too?" Misty asked quietly.

"Yeah. I'd wait at the back of the gym, standing on a platform with the lights off," Brock replied.

"What is with you gym leaders and your dramatic reveals? I really don't see the appeal."

"Oh, you will after you take over the Cerulean Gym."

"I'm here for the badge!" Ash shouted back at the gym leader, ignoring the whispering behind him. "Who do I have to fight to get it!?"

"Spunky ain't ya!" The blonde man shouted, walking around the divider and towards Ash. "Well, if you want the badge- " He stopped in the middle of his sentence when he got close enough to see Ash's companions. "Brock!? Misty!? What are you two doing here?"

"Hi Surge!" Misty said, waving at the man.

"Hello Lieutenant," Brock said. "Don't mind us, we're just tagging along with Aaron here."

"Why would you be doing that now?" Lieutenant Surge asked, walking up to the group.

"It's a long story," Brock said, shaking the gym leader's hand. "For now, I'll just say that Aaron is a trouble magnet!"

"Hey!"

"Oh, go four months without a major event and then you can protest," Misty said, crossing her arms and turning her head away from Ash.

_She's right, you know, _Pikachu muttered from on Ash's shoulder.

"I- I'll -" Ash sputtered, trying to defend himself. "Sometimes these things happen in different years!"

"I hope you're better at battling than you are at helping your case, otherwise this is going to be a very boring match," Surge said, smirking and looking down at Ash.

"Hey! No one asked you!" Ash shouted, turning to Surge. "Can we just battle?"

"Straight to the point, eh?" Surge continued to smirk. "How many badges do ya got?"

"I've got two!" Ash shouted back. "Boulder and Cascade!"

"And you've also got a trainer from one of those gyms and the leader from the other following you." Surge quirked an eyebrow at Brock and Misty.

"For reasons completely unrelated to the badges," Brock replied. "It's part of that long story. We'll explain after his match."

"Can't wait to hear that story," Surge smirked before turning back to Ash. "Alright, here's the rules. You'll be battling the three of us here. Three matches, one on one each time. You need two wins to get the badge."

"Do I get anything for beating all three?" Ash asked eagerly.

"Getting pretty far ahead of yourself there. You probably ain't gonna win a single match, let alone all three. And, no, there's no extra prize for winning all three."

"Fine! Let's get started then!" Ash said, looking around the gym. He saw some white paint on the floor and a circle by the center of one of the clear dividers. "I stand there, right?"

"Yep." Surge nodded and then turned to the two men on the other side of the room and shouted. "Baily, you're up first!"

"On it boss," the man with bluish black hair nodded. He stepped forward, opened one of the panels, and threw a pokéball. White light shone and an electrode stood on the field.

_I love it when we go first, _the electrode sighed. _It means we get to mess up this nice clean arena…._

Ash grabbed a pokéball from his belt, slid open a panel, and threw his own pokéball.

"Go, Charmander!" He cried, Charmander appearing in a flash of light. "Do your best!"

_You can do it Charmander! _Pikachu added his own cheer, pumping his clenched forepaws in excitement.

_Sure Ash! Sure Pikachu! _Charmander exclaimed. He looked at the electrode and fidgeted. _Umm…. You never taught me what to say to my opponent before a fight now that I think of it….._

"Alright, standard rules apply here," Surge said, walking around the arena to get a better vantage point. "You fight until one pokémon can't fight any longer. Non-lethal attacks only. Understand?"

"Yes," Ash nodded.

"Then what are you two waiting for!" Surge boomed. "Get started!"

"Charmander, dodge and Ember!" Ash ordered, not wasting a second.

Charmander jumped to the side, opening his mouth and letting loose a stream of small scarlet-orange flames. At the same time, without prompting from its trainer, the electrode blasted through the space where Charmander had been standing with a powerful bolt of electricity. The bolt missed and the electrode was pelted with fire and left covered in small burns.

Ash was too focused on the fight to see Surge nod approvingly at the exchange.

"Rollnold, Sonic Storm!" Baily shouted.

The electrode, Rollnold, began to spin in place and small shockwaves boomed through the air towards Charmander, making the space between them look like the clearest of rippling water. The small fire type tried to dodge, but there were too many attacks. Charmander squeaked in pain as he was pelted by the waves and sent rolling across the arena floor.

"Charmander, duck, dodge, and weave!" Ash shouted. "Like we practiced! And when you see a chance, then use Dragonbreath!"

Charmander picked himself up just as the stream of shockwaves tracked to his new location, tearing up the arena floor and battering the safety barrier as they sought the small orange pokémon. Ash's pokémon ducked under the attacks and ran to the side. The waves tracked him again and the fire type jumped over them, a faint yellow-green glow growing in his mouth.

A misty pale beam of the same color spewed forth from Charamnder's jaws, speeding towards Rollnold. It was intercepted by yet more shockwaves that tore into the center of the beam and cut it to ribbons. Charmander was once again blasted by the attack.

He took several straight to his open mouth and was sent flying into the safety barriers. There was a loud thud that made Ash's teeth hurt and the entire barrier vibrated. Charmander was left stuck to the barrier like a bird that had hit a window, before gravity's hold slowly peeled him off. He fell limp to the ground.

_Ouch, _Pikachu winced in sympathy.

_I don't, I don't- _ Charmander muttered something while he tried to push himself back to his feet, but his trembling limbs wouldn't support him. He collapsed flat on the ground.

"And the firebug's down," Surge's booming voice announced. "Match one for my guys."

Ash recalled Charmander while Bailey recalled Rollnold.

_You did good, _the pokéraised child quietly told the fire-type in his ball. _Rest now. _

"Aww, giving your widdle baby pokémon a pep talk?" Surge smirked at Ash. "Maybe you should spend your time working on that glass jaw of his instead!"

Ash grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He put Charmander's pokéball back on his belt and turned to face the arena.

He knew that he should be taking a deep breath, that he should be trying to calm down. But Ash wasn't really in the mood for that. The pokéraised boy just wanted to wipe that smirk off the gym leader's face and make him quit trash-talking his team.

"I'm ready for the next one!" Ash shouted, glaring at Surge and grabbing a pokéball from his belt. "Quit talking and send them out!"

"Dwayne, it's your turn," Surge said, still smirking. The other gym trainer, the one with dark brown hair, stepped forward, pokéball in hand.

"Go Chinchou!"

"Go Bulbasaur!"

Ash and the gym trainer shouted simultaneously as they threw their respective pokéballs onto the field. White light flared and both trainers caught the pokéballs when they bounced back.

Bulbasaur faced down a small blue pokémon with large yellow eyes, and two long thin antennas that ended in yellow bulbs. Neither of them said anything.

"Begin!" Surge shouted.

Bulbasaur immediately dodged without prompting as Ash whipped out his pokédex and scanned the other pokémon as it blasted at Bulbasaur with a Thunderbolt attack. Ash read that it was a chinchou, an electric/water type.

"Razor Leaf Storm!" Ash shouted. Bulbasaur began to launch a hail of sharp greenery into the air, some leafy blades hurtling towards Chinchou and some arcing upwards, filling the air with a flurry of plant life.

"Spark Shield!" Dwayne called out. Electricity crackled and buzzed in front of the chinchou, forming a quarter dome of sparking yellow power that incinerated the Razor Leaves that were headed straight towards it.

_I wonder if we could work on a move like that? _Pikachu muttered.

_Perhaps, _Ash whispered. _But I think you'll do better if you focus on dodging. Maybe we could make a temporary barrier? _

The leaves that had arced upward curved back down and converged on Chinchou. The gym pokémon rolled back and forth, twisting and turning to try and catch as many of the attacks as it could on its shield. It flinched as a few leaves made it passed its guard, their blunted edges slamming into its soft flesh, secreting painful chemicals and sucking up vital moisture. But it kept the shield up.

While it was distracted, Bulbasaur's vines crept out and his eyes tracked a single slowly falling leaf. He waited until the Chinchou was twisted away from him and then there was a tremendous crack as his vines whipped the leaf, blasting it at the Chinchou.

The electric/water type's back was to Bulbasaur when he had launched the attack. It attempted to turn, but couldn't move fast enough. The blunted leaf crashed into its side and the pokémon folded around the point of impact as it was sent hurtling through the air.

Like Charmander had previously done, the pokémon slammed into the safety barrier hard enough to rattle it and stuck there for a moment before being peeled off by gravity. It fell to the ground, twitched, and didn't get up.

"Chinchou is unable to continue," Surge was still smirking much to Ash's disappointment. "This match goes to the challenger."

Dwayne recalled his pokémon in a flash of red light.

_Ya know, I take what I said about that combo back, _Bulbasaur said, looking over his shoulder at Ash. _It can work if they can't block it all at once. _

"Good job Bulbasaur!" Ash cheered.

_Teach this gym who's boss! _Pikachu shouted.

Ash smiled at Pikachu before turning to glare at the gym leader.

"What?" Surge asked.

"Aren't you going to be mean to my pokémon?" Ash said, still glaring.

"Not really," Surge shrugged. "That bulbasaur seems strong enough. Or is it your only pokémon who's not a baby?"

"Quit calling them that!" Ash clenched his fist.

"Then toughen them up!" Surge shouted, walking over to the battler's spot on his side of the arena. "Dwayne, you're the ref for this match."

Dwayne nodded and hurried over to the point between the challenger's side of the arena and the gym's side. While he was doing that, Ash recalled Bulbasaur. Surge slid open his panel on the safety barrier and threw a pokéball. There was a burst of white light and an orange pokémon with a white-grey belly, and a long, thin black tail ending in a lightning shape, a raichu stood in the arena.

_My turn! _Pikachu said, perking up.

_ Huh? _Ash turned his head to look at Pikachu.

_I got dibs on beating up any raichu we run into, _Pikachu explained, giving the gym pokémon a dangerous smile. The raichu returned the expression and made a beckoning motion with its forepaws.

Ash thought about it for a moment, staring at the raichu.

_You know what, _Ash eventually whispered. _Part of the reason we're here is to pick up on some tricks for electric types, so it might be best if you're the one to fight the raichu. _

_ Yes! _Pikachu hissed, hopping off Ash's shoulder.

"I choose you, Pikachu!" Ash shouted, sliding open the panel. Pikachu jumped up to the opening and squirmed through.

"You're really sending out that baby pokémon to take on my raichu?" Surge raised an eyebrow. "You're either an idiot-"

_He is! _Pikachu piped up from the arena. _But you don't get to call him that you jerk! _

_ Hey! You don't get to insult my trainer either you pipsqueak! _Surge's raichu protested.

"Or you've got some guts," Surge finished. "I guess it's time to find out."

_Who you callin' a pipsqueak you big lout! _Pikachu shot back at his opponent.

_I'm about to beat you so bad you yellow brat….. _

"Ready!" Dwayne called out from the referee spot.

"I think that you do a bunch of talking but I don't think your pokémon are that good!" Ash countered.

"You mean you think that I can't put my money where my mouth is?" Surge's smirk grew even more infuriating. "Kid, you really need to learn how to properly trash talk."

"Set!" Dwayne called out again.

"You stink!" Ash shouted across the field.

"Way to live down to my expectations kid."

"Go!" Dwayne announced and then the fight was on.

Before Surge said anything and before Ash could say anything there was a blinding yellow flare and the sound of electric buzzing and crackling echoed off the walls of arena. When Ash was able to see again there was a cloud of dust and smoke where Pikachu had been standing.

The cloud faded to reveal Pikachu standing with his forelegs crossed by a crater in the arena floor, tapping one of his feet.

_Oh, like I didn't just see this gym use that strategy before, _Pikachu said, rolling his eyes. Surge's raichu glared at Pikachu and growled.

"Pikachu, Speed Burst!" Ash shouted, keeping an eye on Pikachu and the raichu as he gave his orders. As a consequence of that, he missed Surge nodding at Pikachu, a look of approval on his face.

Pikachu began to race about the arena at Ash's command. He became a yellow blur, zooming in circles around Raichu.

"Lightning Hammer!" Surge ordered. Once again there was the deafening crackling buzz of electricity and a flare of blinding yellow light. A bolt of electric power arced up from Surge's raichu and slammed down at Pikachu, blasting up a cloud of smoke and dust while Pikachu sped away.

_Missed me! _Pikachu taunted as he continued to run circles around the raichu.

"Quick Attacks!" Ash ordered.

He had been observing how the raichu fought. Thus far the enemy electric type had stood still while launching powerful ranged attacks. Ash figured that the raichu was probably an artillery type pokémon and maybe it would be vulnerable to quick, close range, physical attacks.

Ash decided that they were definitely going to get a training manual for Iron Tail after he got an advancement. Pikachu could use another physical move besides Quick Attack.

Ash's starter turned and began zig zagging towards raichu. Electricity arced up and blasted down again, running another section of the arena floor, while Pikachu wove around the blast. He moved fast enough to disappear from Ash's sight. Pikachu reappeared with his head slammed into the raichu's midsection, eliciting a grunt from Surge's pokémon.

Pikachu bounced off, avoiding the retaliatory blast of power, and then blurred away again and reappeared hammering into the raichu's back. Ash's eyes narrowed as he focused on the raichu, trying to figure out what it was going to do next, and once more missed an approving nod from Surge.

"Armor and trap!" Surge shouted.

His raichu was enveloped by a yellow shine that cast long shadows over the arena and the assembled trainers. A low buzz filled the large room. Pikachu impacted into the gym pokémon again but this time there was a flash of light and Pikachu was sent flying back with a cry of pain.

Surge's raichu turned and let loose a large spark that flew at Pikachu. The spark grew as it sped towards Ash's pokémon and then it exploded into a web of crackling electricity.

"Pikachu, make a hole in it!" Ash shouted before his pokémon had even landed. Pikachu skidded to a stop on all fours as the electric web drew closer. His brow furrowed in concentration

Two strands of crackling electricity moved apart and Pikachu jumped through the opening. Ash grinned and pumped his fist in triumph, missing Surge raising an eyebrow and looking impressed.

"Speed Burst again!" Ash shouted, knowing that the raichu was probably about to use a devastatingly powerful electric attack. His prediction was proven true when another Lightning Hammer attack shattered the floor where Pikachu had been.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, trying to make sure he could be heard over the din of battle. "And don't stop dodging!"

_ I didn't- _Pikachu shouted back as he wove around shining crackling blasts from the raichu, _I'm not stupid enough to stop dodging now, unlike a certain someone I could mention! _

Pikachu lashed out at Surge's pokémon in midjump. The Thunderbolt attack lanced at the shining pokémon and shattered on the electric armor, turning into tiny streams and sparks that passed all around the raichu.

Ash squinted, looking for any change in the electric armor surrounding the raichu. He didn't see any. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The raichu was an artillery type pokémon, but it was on a different level from the electabuzz his team had previously fought. It had a powerful defensive move to complement its powerful long-range attacks. Pikachu wouldn't be able to rely on his speed to attack it this time.

Ash had an idea though…..

"Hey, Pikachu, do what Metapod did to that tyranitar's face to that armor and then use Thunder!" Ash ordered, hoping that Surge wouldn't cotton on to what he was planning.

_I hope you mean what I think you mean! _Pikachu called back as he dashed around the arena. _'Cause Pidgeotto isn't here to help with the other thing! _

"You really should try making a code instead," Surge's voice boomed across the arena. "It would be a lot less awkward than trying to make your baby pokémon understand your references."

"You be quiet!" Ash shouted back, bristling in indignation.

Pikachu blurred to a stop behind Surge's raichu, his brows furrowing again. Raichu's armor began to crackle more loudly and sparks flew from the spot that Pikachu was staring at. Both of Surge's eyebrows had risen and he watched Pikachu with a fascinated look.

_You are way too young to think of doing that! _Surge's raichu growled as his own brows furrowed in concentration. More sparks began to fly from the spot where Pikachu was staring and Ash figured that both pokémon were actively fighting for control there.

_I'm not young, you're just ancient! _Pikachu shot back, growling. The intensity of the sparks increased again and Ash thought that the armor was starting to part. _And no raichu gets to tell me what I can or can't do! _

A burst of sparks filled the air and for the briefest of moments Ash could clearly see a gap in the armor. Pikachu wasted no time in exploiting it.

_Taaaaaaake this! _Pikachu howled as he shone with his own electric power. A solid column of electricity formed around Pikachu, a mass of blindingly bright yellow light, his attack crackling louder than the raichu's armor.

It engulfed the raichu, ripping into the gap and then tearing away the electric armor, leaving Surge's pokémon little more than a dark shape in the light. Pikachu screamed as he threw everything into his attack and then it exploded.

Ash had to shield his eyes from the radiance. When he was able to lower his hand, Pikachu was standing in front of a cloud of dust and smoke. Ash's pokémon was panting, but steady on his feet.

_That stung, little pikachu, _Surge's raichu said, stepping out of the smoke. It was mussed and there were tiny burn marks scattered around its body, but it was steady on its feet, and gave no indication that Pikachu's attack had done anything than make it look scruffy. It smirked down at Pikachu, like its trainer had been doing to Ash.

_Well, that's a start at least, _Pikachu growled back between pants. _And don't you worry, I've got plenty left in me. I'll wipe that smirk right off your face! _

_ Oh, you will now will-_

"I've seen enough!" Surge suddenly shouted. "This match is over!"

_What!? _Pikachu cried out, turning to look at the gym leader.

_ Ugh, _the raichu sighed. _Sometimes I miss the days where winning the battle was all I had to be concerned about. _

"Wait, what!?" Ash exclaimed. "We can still fight!? We didn't do anything wrong!" He turned to look back at Brock and Misty. "Did we?" He asked his human companions.

For some reason they both rolled their eyes at him.

"Wow, you can be really slow for someone who just put on such a battle," Surge said, recalling his raichu through the sliding panel. "Kid, I'm calling it off 'cause I decided you earned the badge."

"But I thought that I needed to win two matches!" Ash said, confused.

"I changed my mind," Surge said with a shrug. "Gym leader's prerogative and all that."

"Don't tell me that everyone gets so horribly arbitrary when they become a gym leader," Ash heard Misty say to Brock.

"I am sworn to silence," Brock muttered back.

"But- but-" Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, communicating the shared understanding that they had wanted to win the battle a more than they had wanted to win the badge.

Surge took one look at them and starting laughing.

"You are so damned young!" Surge said in his booming voice, between laughs. "By Thundurus, I remember when I was that stupid."

"Hey!" Ash protested as Pikachu jumped through the opening in the safety barrier.

_Yeah! You don't get to call him stupid! _Pikachu also protested. _He didn't even act stupid around you today! _

"Here's a free lesson," Surge said, making his way around the arena. "Learn to appreciate getting what you need, not what you want."

"Geh!" Ash managed to choke down his retort and even managed to stop himself from growling at the man. He didn't know how much longer he could control himself if he had to keep putting up with Surge's personality.

"You're still an ass I see," Brock said, walking up to stand next to Ash.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you and Giovanni give me lip because you both think that type advantage will protect you," Surge rolled his eyes.

"My sisters don't have type advantage and they still give you lip," Misty told the gym leader, standing at Ash's other side.

"Your sisters have a tendency to give everyone lip, I just don't think they realize it," Surge replied. "Some might say that's its endearing, but it's really just annoying."

"Unlike you who's just a model of congeniality," Brock smirked at the other gym leader.

"What's con-congen-congeniality?" Ash asked.

"Getting along with people," Brock said, briefly glancing at Ash.

"Well, he sucks at that!" Ash said, pointing an accusing finger at the gym leader. "Who let him be in charge of a gym!?"

_Yeah!_

"Oh, please, I was one of the first gym leaders. There was no one to stop me." Surge dug into his jacket and took something out. He held out his large hand, palm up. Resting on his palm was a trinket, a red jewel set on a something that was either a yellow flower or star, the Thunder Badge. "And this is yours kid. Yours and your baby pokémon's."

_Hey!_

"Hey!"

"Do you want the advancement as cash, check, or direct deposit?" Surge asked.

"Cash!" Ash said. "And fast, so I don't have to stay here much longer."

Surge laughed at that and motioned at the gym trainers, who left, presumably to fetch the cash.

"Hurry up!" Ash shouted after them, before turning to glare at Surge. The gym leader evidently found that funny and started laughing even harder.

Misty sighed and nudged Ash with her shoulder.

"Weren't you going to ask him some questions? You know, about electric pokémon?" Misty asked, rolling her eyes. "Like Pikachu?"

Ash winced and then growled. The Vermillion Gym had been his next stop because he wanted to pick up on some tips and tricks for electric pokémon. But it had all flown out the window after dealing with Surge's attitude.

"You," he said, pointing at the gym leader. "What- Do you- Can you- Look, just tell me about electric pokémon."

"They shoot electricity at other pokémon." Surge deadpanned.

"Something about training them," Ash said through gritted teeth.

"Ya have them practice shooting electricity," Surge's deadpan didn't change.

"I hate you."

"I know," Surge grinned at Ash. Ash's glare grew more intense and Surge laughed again.

"To give ya an actual answer," Surge said after he was done laughing, "it really depends on what you're trying to do with your pokémon." He peered closely at Pikachu. Pikachu glared back at him.

"Judgin' by our battle, it looks like your raising this pikachu to be a mid-range attacker," Surge said. "You're thinking of using this thing's speed as his main defense."

"I guess," Ash said, voice carefully neutral. He had been thinking about using Pikachu's speed for defense, but he had never thought about Pikachu's range, not exactly.

"Mid-range and short-range actually," Surge corrected himself, still giving Pikachu an appraising look. "At least judging by the Quick Attacks. So, my first piece of advice is that Double Team won't help here. It's too easy to figure out what's real when it comes to electric attacks."

"Okay," Ash nodded. Pikachu had already decided that he didn't want to learn that move, so nothing was lost there.

"You're going to need to really focus on burst damage too," Surge continued. "Like you tried to do with Raichu there, you need to hit them as hard as you can at just the right moment."

"And finally, one thing to watch out for is that your pikachu is going to be best at fighting one on one," Surge finished. "You two might be able to handle groups, but it won't be your strong point."

"Just means we'll have to be smart," Ash replied confidently.

_You mean I'll have to be smart, _Pikachu muttered from Ash's shoulder. _You can just be you. _

Ash forced his expression to remain the same, while wishing he had some way to quip back at Pikachu.

"I've got to say kid, you can be quick on your feet, but you ain't smart," Surge chuckled. "Still, ya got some promise. I hope I hear good things about you in the future. Also, Brock, Misty, you owe me a story."

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank blackcatspecialist for beta reading.

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed/commented!

And here's another rendition of Surge and his gym battle. I imagine that there's quite a few of these by now.

Not too much to say this time.

Don't forget to review!


	37. Chapter 37

Sabrina sat cross legged in her office, by her desk, hovering over her office chair.

Sitting like that was an old habit, one she had half-heartedly tried to break a few times. But it was a more comfortable arrangement than many of the strange positions people sat in when sitting in a chair normally was too much to ask.

She was reading some papers that had been faxed over from Cinnabar. A collection of documents concerning the project and the people and properties involved in said affair.

They confirmed what the scientist in the pokémon center had said. There had been a fire and most of the personnel involved had died. Most of the equipment and records had been lost. The remaining records had been collected and sent to the project's backers.

Sabrina began looking over the documentation concerning the backers. It had been a joint effort by a few minor corporations, a couple private donors, a few universities, and surprisingly enough, the Cinnabar gym. Specifically, it had been Blaine's predecessor who had been involved in the project. She had died a few years later, of natural causes after leaving the gym to Blaine.

Sabrina made a note to contact Blaine to see if she could get her hands on some of those records and maybe see if he had any thoughts on the case.

The Saffron City Gym Leader sighed. It was a **case** now. She would probably need to call in the Rangers and maybe get some other investigators involved.

Or at least that was the procedure.

She was a gym leader, not a detective. The overall security of the city and the surrounding region was her responsibility, not mysteries. Gym leaders handled direct action, large scale operations and battles, and overt threats.

But Sabrina wasn't an ordinary gym leader, if there even was such a thing. Ever since her psychic talents had first blossomed, she had always been expected to find things out. To pick secrets out of people's minds. To read impressions of events using lingering psychic energies. To catch glimpses of the future.

People had always expected her to investigate things. And Sabrina never had seen the point of disagreeing with them. She was good at it.

So, she put aside any thoughts of calling the Rangers or getting the Saffron City Police to handle part of the case and picked up some more papers.

She started reading through the files on the various executives, professors, and others who had backed the project. And then she stopped before she had even made it through the first quarter of the list.

All of them were dead.

The dark-haired psychic threw herself back into her work. There wasn't a single person on the list who wasn't dead. Some had died in the fire. Some had died of obviously natural causes. And the rest had died of what Sabrina was starting to suspect were causes that only **seemed** natural.

Many of the deaths in the 'seemingly' natural category were surprisingly recent. Within the last couple of months in fact…..

Sabrina didn't need to be psychic to put two and two together.

Someone had been eliminating everyone connected to the project, and that someone was most likely Team Rocket.

But why? What interest did Team Rocket have in a failed genetic experiment? What could justify murdering tens of people? What could be worth risking their strike teams in the forest to kill a scientist who had left before the project was complete?

What indeed…

* * *

Autumn had ended and winter had just begun as Ash, Misty, and Brock walked down the dirt path that cut its way through the grassy plains of Kanto. A chill wind whispered its lonely tidings, unaccompanied by the chorus of birds and flying types that had been its companion in seasons past. There had been no snow yet, but the tall grasses and bushes around them still carried hints of the early morning frost. And the leaves had deserted the branches of the occasional lonely tree that the group passed by, leaving the trunk and branches to stick out of the grassy plains like boney fingers.

Ash had never been to this part of Kanto. He was used to the forests and the mountains. Not hilly grasslands that tapered out into plains that extended into the distance to become hilly grasslands once again.

His history classes had mentioned that the people of Kanto had once lived as nomadic tribes. Ash had always wondered how they had managed that. Travelling in the mountains could be a hassle and it struck him that travelling through forests probably wasn't any easier once the group was large enough.

But looking out on the open fields, tall grass waving in the wind for as far as his eye could see, Ash understood how such a people could have existed.

"How much longer is it to, uh, Celadon City?" Ash asked, getting off his previous train of thought, and looking back at his two human companions.

"It should be only another couple of days," Brock responded from behind Ash shrugging his shoulders to redistribute the weight of his hiking backpack.

"Tell me the gym leader there is nice," Ash pleaded. "I don't want to have to put up with someone like Surge again."

_He was the worst, _Pikachu grumbled from Ash's shoulder.

"The next one is very nice," Misty reassured him. "Well, unless you catch her on a bad day or insult her."

"Surge is…. unique," Brock told Ash. "Some of the other gym leaders can be gruff or short with people, but only Surge goes out of his way to be rude."

"Good," Ash replied. "He was a real jerk!"

"Part of it's an act," Misty said. "He likes to test people and keep them off balance by being rude. He's much nicer when he's not evaluating you for a badge."

"Really?" Ash couldn't imagine the man ever being anything short of an absolute bastard.

"Really," Misty nodded. "Whenever there was a gym conference the gym leaders would take turns babysitting and he was always the one who was the most fun."

"That's because he's too old to give a shit," Brock added.

"How old is he?" Ash asked.

"I know he was old enough to have played a major part in the Battle of Saffron at the end of the Unification War," Brock said, after moment, looking down in thought. "He's at least, fifty or sixty. He's probably even older than that though."

"Wow!" Ash's eyebrows rose. Fifty or sixty was supposed to be really old, with white hair and canes, at least when it came to humans….. Or at least Ash thought that it was. He'd need to try and look that up somehow.

"Who cares," Misty shrugged. "What was important was that he was the one who had your back whenever you wanted to do an ice cream raid."

"Your sisters never forgave him for letting all the kids get into their special stash, didn't they?" Brock said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Oh, yes," Misty said with a wicked little laugh. "And I heard he snuck some away to give to all the other gym leaders at that conference."

"I can neither confirm or deny such rumors," Brock said, still smirking.

"Daisy has sworn an eternal vendetta against anyone who had any of her personal pentuple chocolate mix and she has type advantage on you," Misty grinned. "I think you should ponder that for a while."

"It's a good thing that I prefer caramel then, isn't it," Brock said nonchalantly. "Now, Erika on the other hand….."

"Who's Erika?" Ash asked.

"She's the gym leader at Celadon City," Brock informed him. "She specializes in grass-type pokémon."

"Her gym is also **dangerous**," Misty said, with a dramatic flair of her hands and a grin. "It is said if you go in there unprepared you… will….."

"I will what?" Ash asked, trying not to tense up or lean away as he imagined a variety of grizzly, horrific, plant-based fates.

"You… will…." Misty drew herself to stand on her toes, her hands reaching out like claws, looming over Ash who was trying not to flinch away, "…end up taking a nap," Misty said, giggling and returning to a more normal posture. "Seriously. That place is so damn relaxing, it's unreal."

"We're not kidding about it being dangerous," Brock grumbled. "Unexpected naps can lead to blackmail material that even trained ninjas have failed to destroy."

"My sisters will let down their guard eventually," Misty muttered. "And then everyone in the nap pile shall be freed from the hanging threat of those photos."

"I don't get it," Ash said. "What's wrong with photos of people sleeping?"

_Yeah, _Pikachu agreed. _I nap all the time and I wouldn't be surprised if there were people who just had to capture a photo of such an adorable event! _

"It's just a bit embarrassing," Brock shrugged.

"I don't need the older gym leaders teasing me about how 'young' and 'cute' I looked," Misty complained, crossing her arms. "It's hard enough trying to get them to take me seriously without stuff like that hanging over my head."

_What's wrong with people thinking that you're cute? _Pikachu cocked his head to the side. _It's a great way to get them to feed you! Or at least squee at you while you grab one last bit of electricity before making a daring escape._

"I still don't see the problem," Ash shrugged.

"You will when you get older," Brock sighed.

"So, Erika's a grass-type trainer?" Ash said, changing the subject. "Do you think she'll have any tips for me on how to train Bulbasaur?"

"Obviously," Misty rolled her eyes. "All the gyms are experts on how to raise their type."

"Oh!" Ash pointed at Misty. "You're from the water gym! Do you have any tips on how to train Squirtle!"

"I was wondering if you were ever going to ask," Misty huffed, but her mouth was also twitching into a small smile. "Yes, I do have some."

"Really!" Ash said, getting right in front of her, his eyes going wide in excitement. "Tellmetellmetellmetellme! Please!"

"Okay, I will," Misty said, backing up and holding up both hands. "Just calm down before you have a heart attack."

"Sure!" Ash replied, stepping back.

"Alright," Misty began. "Well, since he's got legs, we can skip the part where we teach him how to battle on land."

"You had to do that?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I had to spend a lot of time training Staryu and Starmie on how to function out of the water," Misty told him. "See, part of being a water-type specialist is knowing how to function in multiple environments. I had to learn how to battle underwater, by bodies of water, and on dry land. You and Squirtle will need to train in all those environments too."

"Okay," Ash nodded. It seemed obvious now that he thought about it.

"Hmm…. what can you tell me about your squirtle?" Misty asked. "I haven't had a chance to watch you train him yet."

"Uh…. He's clever, he's good at special attacks, and at physical attacks," Ash said, trying to think of things that a trainer who couldn't properly communicate with their pokémon would be able to say.

"You're going to train him to be an all-rounder then?" Misty asked.

"I guess," Ash shrugged.

"Well, the training for that is pretty basic it then," Misty told the boy. "All you have to do is constantly have him working on drills for his normal and his special attacks."

"Got it."

"And you personally need to start learning the best times to use a physical or special attack," Misty went on. "If you're making him into a generalist then the key is using the right attack at the right time…. I mean, more so than usual."

"Yeah," Ash replied. "It always matters, but it matters more when…. Uh… I don't know how to describe it."

"It matters more when you've got a range of good skills rather than a few great ones," Brock finished for him. "You won't beat anyone in their specialty, but you can go after them where they're weak."

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed. "That's it."

"Are you looking to have him fill any particular role in your team?" Misty inquired. "Do you know what ability he has?"

"Uh…." Ash tried to remember what his pokédex had said. "Torrent, I think?"

"And what role do you think he should fill on your team?"

"Uh…. I think he's going to be one of the pokémon in front that hits a lot and gets hit a lot?" Ash replied. Ash had never put it into words, but he had always had an idea in the back of his mind about what Squirtle would do. Squirtle knew how to take hits on his shell and liked to jump into the action to hit other pokémon with said shell.

"You might want to work on his defensive moves first then," Misty told Ash. "Oh, and you'll want to be very careful with his diet to make sure his shell is healthy!"

Misty then began to ramble on about the different dietary regimes for water types and the benefits of each. Ash listened with rapt attention and continued to do so when the topic of conversation turned to the different drills that he could have Squirtle run. After that Brock jumped in with some general advice on drills and got into a minor argument with Misty about it.

Eventually Ash joined in the fun and the three of them continued walking down the dirt path, bantering and laughing.

* * *

Most of the gym leaders were impressed by the sheer power of the Cinnabar Island Gym's air conditioning and Sabrina was no exception. She was sitting in an office built into the interior of a volcano and she wasn't even sweating. Sabrina wondered how much it cost to run the thing and then decided that she was better off not knowing.

"So, Sabrina," a bald old man wearing a lab coat and sporting a white mustache, and sitting in the office chair on the other side of the desk from Sabrina. "Have you-"

"Awls, Blaine," Sabrina rolled her eyes, though she knew that the old man, Blaine, the gym leader, could only see one of them. The other eye was hidden behind the curtain of her dark green hair.

"You could at least wait for me to finish the riddle," Blaine replied, frowning.

"Why bother when I can just pluck the answer from your mind and skip the hassle," Sabrina replied.

"What about-"

"Fire."

"Okay, then how 'bout-"

"In love and war," Sabrina rolled her eyes again. "Now can we quit it with the riddles?"

"Sure, just repeat the answers three times fast and we can move on," Blaine said with an evil grin.

"Awls fire in love and war. Awls fire in love and war…. All's fair and love and war. Ugh." Sabrina groaned as she realized what he had been up to. "Did you really have to do that?"

"If you're going to cheat your way out of my riddles, then you have to accept the **pun**ishment," Blaine said, eliciting another groan from Sabrina.

"This is why none of us visit you," Sabrina told the man.

"I thought it was because I'm the only gym leader who lives this far south," Blaine replied, smirking.

"No," Sabrina shook her head. "It's the puns. I'm sure Giovanni would visit more, but you keep him away with your puns."

"Nonsense, he at least has some **grounding **in puns," Blaine replied.

Sabrina winced. "Please tell me you've got the documents I've requested so I can go somewhere else and read them."

"Oh, you're in a hurry to leave already?" Blaine's smirk transitioned back into an evil grin. "But we haven't even finished **warming **up. The good puns are still to come."

"There's no such thing as good puns old man," Sabrina glared at him from behind her hair. "I cannot wait to get back to Saffron so I can shower and wash away the feel of your puns. It was a mistake to read your mind."

Blaine chuckled. He opened one of the drawers on his desk and took out a manilla folder. "Here are the documents from my predecessor, but I don't know how much help they're going to be. Half of them are burned-"

"You didn't have any digital copies?"

"If there are digital copies the gym never got them," Blaine told her. "Honestly I was lucky to find these at all. They were in the wrong section of the archives. I think they got misfiled during the reorganization we did last week."

"That would have been unfortunate," Sabrina said, taking the folder from Blaine.

"Careful, they're delicate," Blaine told her.

"I'll be gentle," Sabrina reassured him. The folder floated into the air and the papers gently floated out, hovering around Sabrina.

"Any particular reason you're heading this case yourself?" Blaine asked, sitting back in his chair.

"Not really," Sabrina answered, looking over the papers. "What do you know about the project?"

"Not much," Blaine replied. "My predecessor tended to play her cards pretty close to her chest. None of us senior gym trainers were involved."

"Too bad," Sabrina muttered.

"All I know is that it was about genetic engineering and psychic types," Blaine said. "Which should be up your alley."

"Hmmm," Sabrina hummed, too absorbed in the documents to reply.

"I'll leave you to it then," Blaine said, getting up out of his chair. "I'll be in the break room when you're done."

"Sure, thanks," Sabrina replied, not looking away from the papers floating around her.

The Saffron City gym leader was so absorbed in the papers that she didn't even hear the door shut behind him. She began to cycle through the collection of documents, looking over half-burned papers and records that were clearly supposed to be part of a set.

From what was left, Sabrina was able to confirm that Blaine was correct about the project involving genetic engineering and psychic types, but she wasn't able to confirm that they were the main focus of the project. Most of the documents lacked the proper context, even the ones that weren't fire damaged. For all that she knew, research involving genetic engineering and psychic types could have been a side project, or had been put to the side after Aoba had left the project.

It was hard to imagine that Team Rocket would be so interested in such a project. Even if the project had managed to engineer a pokémon twice as strong as Sabrina's personal alakazm (who she still sometimes thought of as an abra named 'Sleepyhead'), Sabrina couldn't imagine that the organization would risk so much for it. A live specimen would be powerful, but nothing special, and Sabrina didn't think it would be easy to mass produce such a pokémon…..

Unless that was the real prize, a method to cheaply and easily mass produce powerful psychic pokémon. Sabrina glanced through some of the documents again. There didn't seem to be any mention of such a method. Unless it was in a missing record…..

Sabrina groaned. This was going to give her a headache. She shook her head. The gym leader reminded herself that she needed to focus on the evidence she had, not spend time speculating.

She began to read through the rest of the papers. She sifted through gibberish, trying valiantly to reconstruct the context that would allow her to make sense of the maze of data. But it was futile; all that she could make out was that there had been an important sample of…. something.

Though she couldn't even be sure that it was a sample, rather than say an artefact. The scientists and staff only referred to it as 'The Primary Source'. She couldn't tell why they had done that, whether it was for the purpose of obfuscation, a joke, or if they simply hadn't felt the need to call it anything else.

Sighing, she moved on to the last documents. Sabrina didn't harbor much hope that they would be anymore illuminating than the earlier ones. She figured that she might need to look for psychic residue in the burned mansion, though it would be hard to sense anything beyond the final moments of the people who had died there. The gym leader was hoping that she wouldn't have to resort to that.

Sabrina went over another document and stopped partway through.

The document was singed and damaged, but it mentioned something that Sabrina hadn't yet seen. It discussed containment devices, containment devices for pokémon using terminology that Sabrina had only seen in one other place.

Somehow whatever the scientists on Cinnabar on island had been working on was related to Masterball technology.

* * *

Ariana took a sip from her hip flask and sighed. She was on a small yacht, leaning against the railing, dressed in casual clothing, accompanied by a few other members of Team Rocket who were also in civilian garb. They were travelling the seas between Cinnabar Island and Pallet Town, heading back to the mainland.

One of her subordinates, a woman with short black hair, joined Ariana.

"Celebrating a job well done?" She asked her boss.

"I wish," Ariana sighed. "No, I'm just settling my nerves. I just got a report that Sabrina is at Cinnabar now."

"Wow, we're lucky we got out when we did," the short haired woman said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Ariana said, taking another sip. "And now we'll have to wait and see if she takes the bait."

"Please," the other woman smirked. "The League's proven themselves to be incompetent time and time again. We keep making fools out of them and they don't even realize it. I doubt Sabrina's any different. She'll take our bait, no doubt about it."

"Oh dear," Ariana shook her head. "You're making a grave error in judgement there. The League's not incompetent."

"Please," the black hair woman sneered. "We've infiltrated them so many times-"

"And once we're in charge of Kanto we'll be constantly infiltrated," Ariana replied. "Look, the fight's asymmetric for now. The League's in charge of not only securing, but managing the whole region. They're a public entity. We know where their shit is, we know what they're doing in broad terms, and we know who works for them.

"Meanwhile," Ariana continued, "our shit is hidden, we try to keep everything we do under wraps, and none of us have public lives any more, to put it mildly. The League has to guard everywhere against everyone really and they've got no idea where we are, or where we're going."

"Maybe, but I'm sure we'll do a better job once we win," the black-haired woman replied.

"Do a better job at securing un-important outposts?" Ariana snorted. "Do a better job a guarding some documents that you don't know are important in an old basement? Do a better job at keeping people out of the wilds? Be real. It's too much to look after."

"If you don't think that we're going to do a better job, then what's the point of taking over Kanto?" The woman asked angrily.

"We'll do a better job at running things," Ariana reassured her. "We won't have the League's whole thing with former warlords and their damn modern-day warrior caste. But when we take over, we'll be vulnerable to the same tricks and methods that we're using against the League today."

"At least we'll know what to look out for," the woman muttered, looking out at the sea.

"Yeah," Ariana smiled. "We will. But now we just have to wait and see if Sabrina takes the bait."

* * *

AN: Short chapter this week. Next week is the Celadon Gym.

Don't forget to review!


	38. Chapter 38

Skyscrapers crowded out the winter sun like mammoth metal trees in the monstrous forest known as Celadon City. People, sometimes accompanied by pokémon, traveled along the sidewalks in clumps and streams, lonesome travelers dotting the space between the groups. Cars slipped by; the sounds of their engines lost to the white noise of the city.

Ash had been in large cities before. He had lived in Canalave for a full year after all, and that had been a major port city. But he couldn't recall ever being in a city as dense as Celadon. He had seen skyscrapers before, but they had never dominated the sky, never surrounded him. And he had rarely been around so many people at once.

It was new.

It was…. uncomfortable.

"You okay Aaron?" Misty asked as they came to wait at a crosswalk.

"Yeah," Ash replied with a wan smile. "Just…."

"Overwhelmed?" Brock asked, crossing his arms while waiting for the signal.

"Yeah," Ash shrugged, careful not to dislodge Pikachu from his shoulder.

"It can happen if you're not used to cities," Brock said, clasping a hand over Ash's unoccupied shoulder. "Don't worry, most people adjust."

_And pokémon, _Pikachu added. Ash remembered that Pikachu might have spent more time in cities than he had. He fought down an irrational surge of jealousy at the realization.

"I hope you're right," Ash replied. There was so much to take in, but most of it was just background noise. There was nothing to focus on. Nothing that was important. Just inputs clogging up his head.

The light changed, the signal shone, and they crossed the street.

"Don't worry," Misty reassured Ash. "We just have to go another block and then things will get better."

"How?" Ash asked, looking around at the crowded skyline, at all the people, and the constant traffic on the roads.

"You'll see," Misty said with a wink.

They walked the block, turned a corner, and then Ash saw a park. A park that was larger than any other park that Ash had ever seen. It was a vast expanse of short yellowed grass, with patches of what looked like small forests, and bare trees dotting the rest of the space. Paved paths carved their way through the plant life, with benches placed at strategic intervals. People and pokémon filled the area, walking the paths, running and playing in the grass and trees.

Ash looked over his shoulder at the city behind him and then back at the park. He almost balked at the juxtaposition, but the desire to get somewhere familiar spurred him onward.

_Wow, this is really nice, _Pikachu commented as they crossed the street and started down one of the paths. _There would be so many places to hide after eating some electricity here. _

"This is better," Ash agreed. He was still surrounded by people, but at least he wasn't squashed between skyscrapers.

"Hey, Aaron," Misty said, looking like she had been suddenly struck by a thought. "I thought you've been to cities before. Didn't you used to live in Canalave?"

"I did," Ash answered. "But it wasn't like this."

"Yeah, there aren't as many cities as dense as this one," Brock said. "I think it's in the top ten most populated cities in the world?"

"Really?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's been hard to get information from the other side of the world since the Great War, but that's what people have been saying," Brock told her.

"Huh," Misty replied with a shrug.

They wandered through the park, under the afternoon winter sun. Ash enjoyed his break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

There was a surprising amount of pokémon around as well, more than Ash had really seen together in the wild outside of a flock or herd. The Viridian Forest would never have flying types hanging around grass types without the former attempting to eat the latter. Ash figured that they must get enough food from the humans in the park that they didn't need to prey on each other, at least not all the time.

In the center of the park, there was a small collection of buildings grouped around an odd-looking structure that looked like the top part of a gloom.

"Is that the gym?" Ash asked, excited, pointing at the strange structure. He started to bounce on the balls of his feet as excitement at the prospect of another gym battle filled him. The boy hoped that there wouldn't be a wait.

"Yep," Brock nodded. "But we've got a stop to make first."

"Okay," Ash sighed, settling down. He didn't want to make a detour, but he could put up with it. As long as it didn't take too long. And as long as it wasn't something stupid.

"It better not be what I think it is," Misty said, giving Brock a sidelong glare. Brock looked away, locking his hands behind his head, and strode off, whistling. Misty glared at his retreating back and shook her fist at him before following.

Ash hoped that Misty's suspicions and Brock's reactions weren't confirmation that the former gym leader was making a stupid detour.

They entered in one of the smaller buildings by the gym, a shop. Ash glanced at the display by the window and saw bottles of something. They didn't look like drinks. He wished that he had bothered to read the sign before he came in.

Inside were a bunch of women in tight, short, pink dresses. Misty immediately turned to glare at Brock, who had a dreamy expression on his face.

"I love the uniforms here," he said shamelessly at her unspoken accusation.

"Hello!" One of the shopkeepers said cheerily, coming over to the trio. "What can we help you find today?"

"Do you have anything made with the essence of sudowoodo?" Brock asked the woman. "Specifically, calming scents for ground and rock type pokémon?"

"I do believe so- one second sir," the woman said, heading to the store's backroom.

"See, I've got a legitimate reason for being here too!" Brock told Misty with a grin. "The uniforms are just a bonus!"

"What's this place?" Ash asked, looking around. There were more glass cases filled with bottles of things that weren't drinks.

"It's a perfume shop," Brock explained. "They mainly specialize in cosmetic scents, but they've got some things that can come in handy for working with pokémon."

He turned to Misty. "Maybe you should get something for yourself while you're here."

"I'm not currently planning on dating any time soon," Misty replied, rolling her eyes, "and I doubt they've got anything that won't wash off in water for my pokémon."

"Actually, ma'am, we do have a few perfumes that aren't water soluble," one of the staff -who had been loitering nearby-spoke up. "I can bring out a few samples if you'd like."

"Oh, fine," Misty rolled her eyes again. "It's something to do while Brock gawks I guess."

The staff crowded around Misty, offering her small samples of their wares. Misty's initial reluctance faded and she began to animatedly discuss the various scents and their uses with the staff. Brock watched the staff go about their business with a hazy smile and reddened cheeks.

_You've got an entire store for smells? _Pikachu said.

_No, I don't, _Ash whispered out of the side of his mouth.

_Fine, your species has a store for scents, _Pikachu said, sounding like he was rolling his eyes. _Though to be honest, this is crazy and stupid enough to be one of your schemes. _

_ Hey! _Ash quietly protested. _My schemes work, so they aren't stupid! _

_Stupid things can work, _Pikachu replied. _I mean, you somehow manage to function. _

_ Ha. Ha. Ha. _Ash rolled his eyes.

Ash amused himself by reading some of the displays and bottles while the staff fussed over Misty. At some point Ash turned back to look at Brock. Brock didn't have the expression Ash was expecting; instead of the stupid hazy smile and the blush, Brock had his arms crossed and he was smirking.

Ash had a sudden sense of danger, but it was too late. The front door chimed as another woman came in. She had blue-purple hair and was dressed in a short green and white green dress.

"Brock!" the woman called out, waving. "Welcome back to Celadon City!"

"Erika!" Brock replied, waving back and still smirking.

Misty's head jerked up in surprise. Her face went a shade paler and she shot another glare at Brock.

"Traitor," she hissed.

"Misty!" Erika exclaimed, beaming at the girl. "It's been so long since I've seen you."

"Yeah," Misty said with a little laugh. "Uh, you know, life's been busy."

"I can't wait to hear about it then!" Erika said, still beaming and clasping Misty's hands in her own.

"How did you know we were here?" Misty asked, wilting in the face of Erika's demeanor.

"Brock called ahead and told me that you would be in town," Erika told the younger woman. "And one of the trainers working here ran in to tell me that you three had arrived."

Erika let go of Misty, who then proceeded to shoot Brock the darkest glare of the day so far. The blue-haired woman then turned and went over to Ash, who had been watching the scene in confusion.

"And you must be Aaron," she smiled down at the pokéraised boy. "Brock's told me a little about you."

"He has?" Ash frantically searched his mind for a reason that Brock might do that. Where had he heard the name Erika mentioned before? She was the gym leader here and…..

Didn't Brock say something about having a person named Erika talk to him about stuff? Stuff that Ash really didn't feel like talking about?

Suddenly Ash understood why Misty was glaring at Brock.

"Brock wants you to talk to me about stuff, doesn't he," Ash said, also glaring at the dark-skinned young man. Brock shrugged and continued to smirk.

"I think I need to talk to all of you about 'stuff'", Erika said, looking around at the three of them. Brock's smirk vanished from his face.

"Uh, well, I don't know," Brock said, leaning back from Erika. "I've been out of the loop for a while so I don't have much gossip to tell you."

"Nice try," Erika's expression didn't change while she spoke. "I've been meaning to speak to you since I heard the news about Flint."

Ash looked at the shop door out of the corner of his eye. He felt like he could make it if he sprinted.

"Why don't you all come with me?" Erika beamed at the three of them. "I'm sure Aaron's eager to get his badge and I have so much to catch up on with you two!"

Misty shot another glare at a dejected looking Brock. Aaron sighed.

* * *

Ash was given a tour of the gym while Erika talked to Brock and Misty. While he wasn't looking forward to the stuff that the gym leader would probably want to talk to him about, he could at least laugh at Brock being caught in his own trap. Maybe this would teach him not to be such a McBossypants.

In the meantime, the guide, one of the women from the shop, showed him the various greenhouses that grew both plants and grass-type pokémon, the nurseries where the gym bred and reared pokémon to be given to new trainers, the various training rooms, the dorms, and finally the gym cafeteria. Ash found many of the rooms to be extremely peaceful, filled with sweet scents and a gentle warmth that just seemed to encourage napping.

The tour guide offered Ash an early dinner and the boy had never been one to pass up on a free meal. As he expected, the meal was heavy on the veggies, but it was delicious. Pikachu munched on the cafeteria's offering for pokémon, another vegetable-based meal rather than the usual fare of pokéchow.

_Wow, _Pikachu said between bites. _Ash, you need to grab this recipe before you leave. _

Ash rolled his eyes at the suggestion. If he had to put up with energy bars Pikachu could put up with pokéchow and like it.

Brock and Misty came into the cafeteria when Ash was nearly finished with his meal, taking seats at his table. They both looked tired, but not unhappy.

"See, this is why you should leave the plans to the Fuchsia gym people," Misty said to Brock.

"Yeah," Brock sighed, dragging his hand over his face. "But, well, at least you're taken care of."

"I was doing just fine," Misty huffed, turning her nose away from Brock, "thank you very much."

"And an expert can tell me that you're fine," Brock shot back.

"I think I'm able to tell if I'm fine or not," Misty said, anger suffusing her voice.

"And I can tell you, from experience, sometimes that's the last person who can tell," Brock told her. "Just trust me on this one, please."

"Oh, I'm not letting this slide," Misty growled. "You're going to owe me for this."

"I'll provide the usual reparations," Brock sighed and Misty's eyes glinted with a greedy light. "You can even call up the other gym brats in Saffron City when we get there, I'll pay for everyone."

"Really," Misty smiled wickedly. "Well, I know I'm going to order the most expensive thing on the menu." Brock let out another sigh.

Misty turned to Ash, still grinning evilly. "Aaron, it's time to start thinking about what fancy foods you've always wanted to eat, 'cause when we get to Saffron City, we're going to the Fancy Farfetch'd on Brock's dime."

"Is that a restaurant?" Ash asked.

"The best restaurant in Kanto," Misty licked her lips. "Very expensive."

"Okay!" Ash exclaimed. "Thanks, Brock!"

"Don't thank him!" Misty chided. "This is just to make up for siccing Erika on us."

"Uh…" Ash realized that he hadn't actually had to deal with the gym leader yet. He looked around the cafeteria, expecting to find her.

"Are you enjoying the food?" A gentle voice spoke up from right behind him, causing the pokéraised boy to start in his seat. He whipped his head around to see Erika standing right behind him.

"Sorry, about sneaking up on you," she said, sitting down at the table with him, "It's a bad habit I picked up from Koga."

"Who's that?" Ash inquired.

"The Fuchsia City gym leader," Erika told him. "He carries on a ninja tradition to complement his skill with poison types."

"Oh," Ash said and then returned to his meal, quickly finishing it off.

"A growing boy I see," Erika said, raising one eyebrow. "Will you be wanting seconds?"

"Yeah!" Ash replied, standing up. "But it can wait until after my battle!"

"Oh?" Erika kept the eyebrow up. "And just when do you think that's going to be?"

"Uh…" Ash remembered that he generally needed to at least check in to get a gym battle. "Soon?" He said hopefully.

"Mhmmm, maybe," Erika hummed. "I think I'll take a walk first. Why don't you come with me?"

"Okay," Ash said, almost shrugging before realizing that she would probably want to do all the talking about stuff on this walk. He shot Brock a quick glare while the Celadon Gym Leader was getting up, which the dark-skinned young man ignored.

_I want to finish this, _Pikachu said as Ash walked away. _Just come back and pick me up when it's time to battle. _

Ash nodded at Pikachu and then followed Erika out of the cafeteria and towards a part of the gym that his tour hadn't covered.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"Oh, just my personal gardens," Erika informed him. "So, Aaron, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Uh…." Some part of Ash reflected that this was probably one of the scenarios that Poison Lance, Pocket Watch, and Flygirl used to have nightmares about. "Like what?"

"Oh, anything," Erika replied, opening a pair of doors that led outside to the back of the gym. "Let's start with where you grew up."

"Lots of places," Ash shrugged.

"Like?"

"Uh, Violet City, Canalave City, Fortree City, Lavender Town, and Pallet Town."

"Oh, so many towns. Why is that?" Erika led Ash into a large collection of plants that he guessed was her garden.

"Um…. my folks moved a bunch for work," Ash answered after a second.

"I see. That must have been hard."

"Yeah," Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't like it."

"What made you want to become a pokémon trainer?"

"Well…. I like pokémon," Ash replied with another shrug.

"What about pokémon do you like?" Erika knelt down to sniff an exotic looking flower.

"Uh, lots?" Ash replied.

"Anything specific that you wouldn't mind sharing?"

"I…. like helping them."

"That's good to hear," Erika said, standing up from the flowers. "There are many valid reasons to want to become a pokémon trainer, but that particular one is my favorite."

Ash didn't say anything to that.

"Not very talkative today, are you?" Erika said with a little smile. "Do you want to get straight down to business then?"

"The badge battle?" Ash asked hopefully.

"Eventually," Erika told him. "Brock told me that he was worried about how you were handling things after your latest incident."

"I'm fine," Ash grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Maybe," Erika hedged. "But he also said that you were having night terrors."

Ash rubbed the back of his head while Erika waited patiently for him to speak.

"I think I've always had those," Ash eventually confessed. "They're not new."

"Ahhh," Erika nodded. "Brock simply wasn't looking for them before."

"I guess," Ash shrugged yet again.

"How old are you again? Twelve or thirteen?"

"I'm twelve," Ash answered.

His caretakers had been fairly certain that his birthday was in the fall and it was now winter, so he was sure that he had gone from eleven to twelve. He made a mental note to look up the birth date that Pocket Watch had used to get him his trainer's license.

"You're handling this awfully well for a twelve-year-old," Erika said, looking at Ash. The pokéraised boy did his best to keep his expression neutral, but he felt like the gym leader was peering through him in a way that not even Pocket Watch could manage.

He knew how to guard himself against telepathy. He had no clue on how to deal with observation.

When it became clear that Ash wasn't going to say anything, Erika resumed talking.

"You're not required to tell me anything, but if there's anything bothering you, anything at all, I can keep it confidential," Erika said to him.

There were a lot of things bothering Ash. He just couldn't talk about them to any human.

"I'm fine," Ash told her.

"It doesn't even need to be any of the big things," Erika went on. "I can help, even if it's just to listen to you complain about your friends."

"They're-" Ash almost launched into his litany of complaints about them, but it didn't quite feel the same. "I used to not like being with them because they were bossy and I wanted to be alone with my pokémon," Ash told the gym leader. "But now I think I like being with them."

"What changed?" Erika asked gently.

"I don't know," Ash shrugged yet another time. "I guess I missed them when we were traveling apart."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Erika quoted. "Has their behavior changed at all?"

"A little," Ash answered. "But I just think that's because nothing's happened that they'd want to boss me about."

"Ah, yes, Misty and Brock," Erika smiled fondly. "They can both be overbearing, but they arrived at it from such different places."

"Huh?"

"Brock's used to having to be a substitute parent and a gym leader," Erika explained. "He's used to being in charge and taking care of people. It looks like he couldn't manage to leave that behind when he left Pewter City."

"It's annoying," Ash muttered.

"I can imagine," Erika said, still smiling. "But he does it because he cares."

"Misty's coming at it from the opposite angle," Erika continued. "She's always been the youngest sister, the one who didn't quite fit in at the Cerulean City Gym. Always feeling like she's had to fight to get any respect. She is so used to her sisters accidentally pushing her down that she sometimes treats any disagreement like another attempt to push her down."

"Really?" Ash thought back on his memories of the Cerulean City Gym and Misty's sisters. They had been nice to him and he thought that they had been nice to Misty too. But he also knew that at least one of them tried to force her to come back and that they bothered her frequently.

"It's something that she should work on," Erika went on. "Just like I've asked her sisters to work on how they treat her. And they **have** improved, it's just that they still have a ways to go."

"What can I do to make her quit it?" Ash asked. "To make them both quit."

"You can't 'make' them quit it," Erika informed him. "It's something they need to work on, themselves. And there will be times that you should listen to them."

"Great," Ash rolled his eyes. "You're on their side. It's 'cause all you gym people are bossy, isn't it?"

"Being bossy is a habit one picks up when they need to run something, yes," Erika laughed gently. "But I'm not taking their side. If they're being overbearing then you need to make that clear. Just remember where they're coming from and push back gently but firmly."

"Fine," Ash sighed.

"And make sure to try and come across as calm when you're doing so," Erika went on. "You might be surprised how big of a difference it makes."

"Really?" Ash asked, looking up at her.

"Really," Erika nodded. "It makes it harder for them to dismiss your objections."

"Why?"

"If you come across as calm, they can't simply say that you're being irrational because of your feelings or your youth," Erika explained. "Even if their own behavior isn't coming from a place of emotional maturity," she finished with a wry smile.

"You mean even though they're just stupid," Ash said.

"That's not a very constructive way to put it, but po-ta-to, po-tat-o," Erika shrugged. "Everyone's got something that they can work on."

"I don't!" Ash declared, puffing up proudly.

"You need to work on being a better actor and liar," Erika told him, causing the boy to flinch back. "You spend too much time thinking of what you're going to say. You can get away with that occasionally, but you do it too often."

"What?" Ash felt his eyes going wide with shock and a cold surge of fear wormed his way through his gut. He caught himself and did his best to force his expression to remain neutral. He resorted to his mental defense training to try and calm himself.

"It's fairly obvious if you know what to look for," Erika said casually, walking closer to Ash. The boy tried not to flinch away. "You fidget a lot, which could just be nerves, but you also spend too long thinking about your answers to simple questions. There's also your tendency to be vague."

"I- I- I," Ash stammered, mind blank.

Erika crouched down so that she was eye level with Ash and then reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Aaron, don't worry," she said gently. "I don't know why you're putting on an act, or why you're lying, but it doesn't matter. I told you that I would keep this all confidential."

Ash didn't reply. He was too busy trying to keep his expression under control.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Erika reassured him, looking him in the eye and speaking gently, her face serious. "I can't know for certain, but I trust that you've got a good reason for doing what you do."

"Why?" Ash was proud that he managed to keep his voice from shaking when he asked the question.

"I've read the reports on what you've done, Aaron," Erika said. "They show me that you don't just like helping pokémon, you also like helping people. I don't know what you're hiding, but I don't need to know."

Ash closed his eyes. The cold worming fear was still there, but it had begun to fade under a wave of relief washing through him.

"You won't tell anybody?" He asked in a small voice.

"Not another soul," Erika promised.

"Okay," Ash took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Erika said. "But please, work on your lying. The next person to see through you might decide to dig deeper."

"Okay," Ash nodded. "Any tips?"

"Just try to avoid the behaviors I mentioned," Erika suggested. "And practice rehearsing some of your answers."

"I'll do that," Ash said, letting out a breath.

"I'm glad to hear that," Erika smiled at him again. "Now, I do believe you mentioned something about a battle and a badge….."

* * *

Ash retrieved Pikachu and then followed Erika to one of the gym's arenas. Unlike the plain and bare used industrial aesthetic of the Vermillion City Gym, the Celadon gym had bleachers all around the arena, and decorative plants all around those. The actual fighting pit was a dirt floor with chalk lines, with forcefield emitters, tall poles with round pads on the sides, in each corner.

"Swanky," Brock commented, looking at the emitters from his spot in the bleachers. "I wish we could have afforded those back in Pewter."

"Eh, we never needed them back home," Misty replied, sitting next to him. "They're overpriced. You can get the same result simply by having the trainers standing far away from the arena."

"Not everyone has their gym battles in a pool, Misty."

"Well, that's their problem then, isn't it?"

"Aaron, I'm told that you have three badges?" Erika asked Ash from her side of the arena.

"Yeah," Ash nodded.

"Hmm….. in that case, we shall do two one-on-one matches," Erika told Ash. "I'll decide whether or not to award you the badge based on your performance."

"Got it," Ash said, grinning eagerly.

"Standard rules. The battle continues until one pokémon can no longer fight and lethal attacks are prohibited." Erika informed him, holding up a pokéball. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Ash said, holding up a pokéball.

"Very well," Erika nodded. "Go Paras!"

"Go Charmander!" Ash cried out at the same time.

_You can do it Charmander! _Pikachu cheered from Ash's shoulder.

Light flashed and both pokémon were in the arena. A small orange crab like pokémon, with two red and yellow mushrooms growing out of its back, a paras, stood on the other side of the arena facing Charmander. There was a brief whine as the forcefields switched on. The arena in front of Ash was briefly tinted grey for a moment before the field stabilized.

"Very well, we begin when the buzzer sounds," Erika told the boy. "Do your best!"

"You too!" Ash replied.

"You don't need to say that to the gym leader!" Misty shouted from the bleachers. "They're the ones testing you!"

"I thought it was cute of him to say that," Brock said, crossing his arms and leaning back.

The buzzer went off.

"Spore!" Erika shouted.

"Fire Bloom until it's done!" Ash ordered in response. He hoped that the fire type's endurance would be enough to last out the Spore attack.

A hazy yellow cloud rose from Para's back sweeping through the arena towards Charmander. But Ash's pokémon inhaled before it could reach and then exhaled a blooming plume of flame. The haze was burned away from Charmander's face and the fire-type kept it burning until it had safely passed by.

"Charmander-" Ash began to shout but then Charmander stumbled. Ash squinted, looking at Charmander's cheeks, and there it was, the tell-tale purple patches that meant he had been poisoned.

_I don't feel so good, _Charmander moaned.

Ash knew that Spore was supposed to put Pokémon to sleep, not poison them, and the attack had definitely been Spore….. there must have been a poison move mixed in with the Spore attack.

He had to end this quickly before the poison knocked Charmander out.

"Charmander, get close!" Ash shouted.

_Okay, _Charmander exclaimed. He charged forward, claws raised and reflecting the overhead light, mouth open and fangs bared.

"X-Scissors!" Erika commanded in response.

"Bite to counter!" Ash shouted.

Erika's pokémon leapt forward at Charmander, pincers slashing at Charmander from either side. Charmander darted forward, striking with his fangs at the same time. The fire-type managed to catch Paras's pincers right as they crossed, trapping both in his mouth.

"Hold it there and Fire Bloom again!" Ash said, quick as he could.

Charmander's claws stabbed into Paras's pincers and sides. At the same time, he inhaled and then partially exhaled. He let the fires burn within, mixing the extra air with his own flames, before inhaling and launching his attack!

Paras was engulfed in Charmander's flames. The grass/bug-type went limp in the other pokémon's clutches before the attack was complete and Charmander threw it back into the forcefield. It impacted against the invisible barrier and slid to the ground, twitching.

"My Paras is unable to continue," Erika stated calmly and loud enough to be heard. The forcefield emitters flicked off. "Aaron wins this first match."

Erika recalled her pokémon and Charmander rushed over by Ash.

_You did great! _Ash whispered to the fire-type sweeping him up into a hug.

_You were awesome! _Pikachu agreed, hugging the top of the fire-type's head.

_I'm getting so much stronger! _Charmander exclaimed. _One day I'll win all the time! _

Ash didn't know what to say to that, so he just gave Charmander a squeeze before setting the fire-type down.

"Return!" Ash said, recalling Charmander.

"Are you ready for the next match?" Erika asked, getting out another pokéball.

"Yeah," Ash said, grabbing for the next pokémon. He wished that he had done a strategy session before coming to this match like he had done in Vermillion City. But between his discomfort with the city and Brock's little plan, there hadn't been any time.

He resolved that he would get the badge nonetheless.

"Go Bulbasaur!" He shouted as he threw the pokéball.

"Go, Omelet!"

Light flashed once more and two pokémon faced each other down from opposite sides of the arena. Bulbasaur stared at a collection of pale pink egg-like beings. Ash quickly whipped out his pokédex to scan it and found that it was the pokémon known as exeggcute, a grass/psychic-type pokémon.

_Turn them into scrambled eggs! _Pikachu shouted to Bulbasaur.

_I think they're seeds, _Bulbasaur replied over his shoulder.

"This match will begin when the buzzer sounds," Erika repeated her previous instructions as the forcefield flicked back on. "Do your best!"

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed back.

"See that was a more appropriate response," Misty said from the bleachers.

"Not as endearing," Brock replied. "It's more fun to hear things like 'you too' from kids….."

"He's only a year younger than me!"

"As I said, kids."

The buzzer sounded, cutting off the conversation between Ash's two human companions.

"Bulbasaur, Leaf Attack!" Ash commanded right off the bat. A swarm of leaves flew out from under Bulbasaur's bulb. They filled the air, swooping and impacting all around and on Omelet. The exeggcute just watched.

At the same time, Bulbasaur had two vines slide from the backside of his bulb. They stabbed into the earthen floor of the arena and dug deep into the ground.

"Omelet, interrupt the distraction please," Erika calmly ordered while the leaves battered her pokémon.

_Got it! _One of the beings that comprised Omelet replied. Another egg/seed opened its mouth and a clump of grimy purple sludge was spat out. The sludge attack blasted through flying Razor Leaves and hit Bulbasaur right over the eyes.

_Shit! _Bulbasaur swore, attempting to rub away the liquid with more vines and his forelegs.

"Psychic Barrage please," Erika said as calmly as if she were ordering tea.

_On it! _All the parts of the exeggcute said as one. They all started glowing with a faint purple light and clumps of earth and stone were torn out of the floor of the arena. They began to shoot at Bulbasaur. Still blinded from the Sludge attack, Bulbasaur was helpless to stop them.

Ash's pokémon grunted as the projectiles thudded into him, battering his head around, knocking his body about. One caught him under the chin, knocking him into the air, exposing the two vines that were digging into the ground behind him.

"I see," Erika commented as Bulbasaur flew upwards. "That was your plan. Omelet, Psychic please."

The purple glow around the exeggcute grew more intense and Bulbasaur was engulfed in a similar light. He was suspended, helpless in midair and then an invisible force yanked him higher still, ripping his vines out of the ground.

"Finish him," Erika ordered, as calm as ever. Bulbasaur began to fly around the arena, slamming into the ground and forcefield, caught in the exeggcute's psychic power.

"Razor Leaf!" Ash shouted. "Vine Whip! Whatever you can do to hit it!"

More blunted leaves flew from under Bulbasaur's bulb and his vines lashed out, reaching for the ground and Omelet. The other grass type stoically endured the leaves and psychically threw Bulbasaur into the opposite corner of the arena before his vines could get close. It ping-ponged Bulbasaur off the opposite walls of the corner, raising Ash's pokémon high in the air as it did so. Bulbasaur hung for a moment and then shot down like he had been spiked, slamming face-first into the ground.

Ash winced. He could feel the vibrations from that impact through his feet.

_Ouch, _Pikachu said, also wincing.

_I'm done, _Ash heard Bulbasaur wheeze, his voice muffled by the pile of dirt he found himself in.

"I quit!" Ash shouted before Erika could have her pokémon attack again.

"My opponent has forfeited," Erika calmly stated. Ash wondered if their match was being taped and Erika was saying that stuff for the record. "This match goes to me."

* * *

After the match Ash, Brock, Misty, and Erika retired to a break room for tea and snacks. The gym people made small talk while Ash quickly tended to Bulbasaur and Charmander with a potion and an antidote.

_Was it as bad as it looked? _Pikachu asked Bulbasaur while Ash treated him.

_Worse, _Bulbasaur said, wincing as Ash applied the potion.

When Ash was finished, he recalled them and then took a seat at the table with the other humans.

"So, Aaron, what can you tell me about our matches," Erika said before Ash could ask about whether or not he got the badge.

"Uh…" Ash thought back on them. "You didn't, uh, what's the phrase, get, um, serious! You didn't get serious until the second one!"

"Partially correct," Erika said. "The Spore-Toxic combo that I had Paras use tends to catch most trainers by surprise. You did well to notice that your charmander had been poisoned so quickly."

"But you weren't really battling then, were you?" Ash said, almost accusing her.

"I certainly wasn't giving it my all, if that's what you're asking," Erika said. "But I'm not supposed to. My gym as a gym leader is to evaluate you and your performance, not to win battles."

"Then why are you asking me how I did?"

"I'm currently evaluating how much you actually understand regarding those battles," Erika explained. "What else do you have to say about our matches?"

"I won the first one using type advantage," Ash said after a moment, looking down at the table. "If charmander didn't have that he would have lost."

"That's probably true," Erika agreed. "But even if type advantage is a very basic tactic, you were still able to use it to secure a victory. While it never pays to be overly reliant on it, neither should you ignore type advantage, or feel guilty using it to win."

"I guess," Ash shrugged. For some reason, it felt fine to use type advantage in a real fight, like when he was guarding Aoba and Melanie, but using it in a gym battle, where you were supposed to show how good you were, made him feel small and unpleasant.

"What can you tell me about the next battle?" Erika asked.

"I think what I had Bulbasaur do didn't let him move enough," Ash said, after taking another moment to think about it. "That's why he couldn't dodge the Sludge and that's why we lost."

"That was certainly a factor," Erika agreed. "But can you think of anything else?"

Ash thought for another few seconds before shaking his head.

"No," he told her.

"Very well," Erika took a sip of tea and then gagged. She spit out the offending liquid. "Wrong flavor," she said, sticking out her tongue. "I hate it when they switch drawers."

"Anyway, Aaron," the gym leader continued as she got up to empty her cup into the sink, "why did you use that plan in the first place?"

"Huh?"

"You would have stood a much better chance if you had simply attacked directly instead of trying to be tricky like that," Erika said as she began to make a second cup of tea.

"I would have?" Ash asked, looking down at the table again. "Is your pokémon, uh, weak-bodied?"

"No, Omelet's got an above average defense for a grass-type," Erika told him. "But if you can scatter an exeggcute then they're much easier to fight."

"So, I should just attack when things are like that?" Ash asked. Erika finished brewing her new cup of tea, took a sip, and sighed in contentment.

"I think sometimes you might need to be pushed into direct action," Erika said. "I haven't seen you battle enough to say for certain. Tell me, was the only reason you had Charmander charge because you realized that he had been poisoned?"

Ash frowned and squirmed in his seat, "Yeah, I guess."

"Tell me, do you start most of your battles off with long-ranged special attacks if you can?" Erika continued to probe.

Ash thought back on his battles. She was right, whenever he **did** tend to try long-range special attacks first if he could.

"Yeah," Ash said. "That's a bad thing?"

"Only if you're unaware that you do that," Erika said, shaking her head. "It's no better or worse than any other habit. You just need to make sure that you are aware of it and you know to adjust your tactics when needed."

"Like with Bulbasaur," Ash replied.

"Yes," Erika said, nodding before taking another sip of tea. "It wasn't a major mistake or anything. You can't be expected to be familiar with every pokémon. Just be aware of that habit."

"Okay," Ash nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Maybe." Erika held her teacup in front of her mouth, but Ash could see from the corners of her mouth that she was smirking. "Aaron, how would you like to join the Celadon City Gym?"

"Oh, wow, you really do not wait to jump on new talent, do you?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But I'm not a, uh, specialist! I'm not a specialist," Ash protested. "I've only got one grass type pokémon."

"So?" Erika shrugged. "All the gyms have a few generalists and off-type trainers around. It's how gym specialties change."

"Well, that and open tournaments," Misty pointed out.

"Do I even have enough badges to be a gym trainer?" Ash asked.

"That's up to the gym leader's discretion," Erika said, continuing to hide her smirk by taking a sip of tea. "And I think four badges is more than enough."

"But I've only got three badges."

"Oh, dearie me, did I forget to tell you that you've earned the Rainbow Badge," Erika rested her hand against her cheek in an exaggerated expression of shock.

"I did!?" Ash exclaimed, standing up and almost knocking over his chair.

"Oh, yes, you did," Erika nodded. "You put on a fine showing to earn your fourth badge." She reached into her pocket and took out an eight-sided rainbow trinket. She handed it over to Ash who almost snatched it out of her palm. The boy held it up to the ceiling light, inspecting it.

"We did it!" The boy cheered to Pikachu. "We got the badge!"

_It was all thanks to my expert leadership, _Pikachu said, closing his eyes, crossing his forelimbs, and nodding.

Ash just stuck his tongue out at Pikachu.

"Anyway, about my offer to join the gym," Erika interrupted.

"No," Ash shook his head. "I want to keep moving."

"Too bad," Erika sighed. "Well, when you're ready to take root, just remember the Celadon Gym."

"Oh please," Brock snorted. "If he continues collecting badges at this rate, he'll probably start getting more offers before the year is out. You'll actually have to compete with all the other gyms."

"Can't blame a leader for trying," Erika shrugged. "Now how do you want your advancement?"

* * *

Sabrina sat in the corner of the café, head leaning forward, allowing hair to veil the sides of her face. The swinging fluorescent lights overhead cast her face in a pallid shade, contrasting with her dark hair.

"Good grief," a man in a black uniform and white apron groaned. "Sabrina, it's always nice to have you as a customer, but do you have to sit there each time?"

"What's wrong, Jim?" Sabrina shrugged, smirking.

"You know you scare the other customers when you sit there," Jim told her, getting out a notepad. "And you scare the living daylights out of me when you sneak in like that."

"It's part of the fun," Sabrina said with a little laugh. "If I'm going to be creepy, I might as well own it."

"Owning it is very well and good, but if you keep scaring away customers, I might not own this place too much longer."

"You've been saying that since I've been a creepy little girl who snuck in here to try and get coffee," Sabrina grinned at him.

"And you never figured out that I was giving you decaf the whole time," Jim retorted, flipping open his notebook and getting out his pen. "That seems like something that would be embarrassing for a mind reader to miss."

"I told you I didn't even know what decaf was," Sabrina laughed again.

"Sure….. now will you be ordering to help make up for the lost revenue or should I just start looking into closing the place?"

Sabrina smiled, shook her head, and placed her order. Jim left to go make it and then Sabrina got out another sheaf of papers.

She looked at them and sighed. When had stacks of paper become her life? Oh, right, when she had decided to take the lead investigating a case. Something gym leaders weren't supposed to do. She had nobody to blame but herself.

She began going through her new stack of papers.

Junichi Tajiri had been a Silph Company executive who had risen through the ranks as a brilliant scientist. He had pioneered many of the projects that had helped the company reach its present heights.

He had also been in charge of the MasterBall project.

Sabrina had been asked to help with some early tests that they had been running several years ago. That was why she was the only one in the League outside of the Elite Four who knew about the project. They had needed her to stress test some of their early innovations and proof of concepts.

She and Mindlight (Sleepyhead had insisted on a name change after their first evolution) had called upon the power of all of Sabrina's team and the gym pokémon in an attempt to break the various fields Junichi's team had created, or overload the various mechanisms that they had been working on. More often than not Sabrina and her team failed.

Sabrina had realized the implications of the project right away, before she stood in front of the barriers that not even her full power could break. A capture mechanism that no amount of raw power could defeat. An ultimate weapon of sorts.

If they included pokéball overrides, to allow the Masterball to capture pokémon that already had a pokéball, then nobody would be safe fielding an elite pokémon against Kanto.

But Kanto didn't seem to have an external enemy and it didn't look like it would for a very long time. Instead, the Masterballs would probably be used in emergencies, to safely restrain rampaging pokémon and resettle them. It would make the task so much safer, as not even legendary pokémon would be immune to the Masterball. So much would change.

It would have come in handy two years ago, Sabrina reflected, when something or someone riled up the three legendary beasts of the Burned Tower in Johto and drove them into a rampage. It had taken the combined efforts of Johto's Elite Four and their Champion to quell the beasts and they had paid a heavy price to do so. Only one of them had survived the battle, the dark-type specialist Karen.

It had been the catalyst for Johto to finalize the terms of the unification that they had been negotiating with Kanto for the better part of a decade; the only silver lining of the event.

If Masterball technology could have been available back then, so many lives could have been saved.

And if Masterball technology fell into the wrong hands so many lives could be lost.

Which brought Sabrina back to the files she was looking at. A collection of reports about the death of Junichi Tajiri. At the time she and everyone else had thought it to have been due to natural causes, but Sabrina wasn't so sure anymore. Team Rocket had been able to assassinate far too many people under the League's radar. What if they had killed him too?

She went over the autopsy report again. Nothing jumped out at her. She went over how his estate had been disposed of. Nothing jumped out at her. She went over medical reports about his last days. Nothing jumped out at her.

Sabrina sighed. She wished that she had the files about the current status of the project, but it would take more time to get access from Silph Co. If something suspicious was happening there then she would have a lead.

She flipped through the reports again, looking for something, anything that didn't fit. Something that would tell her if she was just being paranoid or not-

One of the last documents. It was an incident report. It wasn't directly related to his death. It was about a disturbance near his grave. It had happened recently, after Aoba had reached the Yin-Li Pokémon Center.

The night watchwoman at the cemetery, alerted by the sounds of wild pokémon, had stumbled across a pair of apparent grave robbers, a man with purple hair and a woman with red hair. They had been carrying shovels and it looked like some of the dirt on Junichi's grave had been disturbed.

A man with purple hair and a woman with red hair….. the description pinged something in Sabrina's memory…. Something to do with Pewter City…

* * *

AN:

I'd like to thank Laurwest and Amationary for beta reading this chapter (Also, check out their fics, they're really good).

So, bad news folks. My buffer is bone dry. This is the first time that I've released a chapter without having the next chapter ready to go. So, in order to rectify that I will not be releasing a chapter for the next two weeks and will instead focus on rebuilding my buffer. Which means the next chapter of Symbiotic will be released on the 26th of August.

Anyway don't forget to comment/review!


	39. Chapter 39

"Do we really have to go visit this ranch?" Misty complained as she trudged through the snowy grass.

"Well, as we're going around Saffron again and heading to Fuchsia City instead, we might as well hit some points of interest on the way," Brock said. "Besides, Aaron agreed to this and it's his journey."

"Yeah!" Ash nodded. "I want to see the pokémon on this ranch!"

And he wanted to talk to them about their experiences being raised by humans. The pokémon that he had known had either been wild pokémon or had become trained pokémon after reaching maturity. (But his human companions didn't need to know about that…..)

When Ash had decided on his next gym, Misty had insisted that they take the ferry from the coast near Celadon across the gulf. She had claimed that the bus ride over the long bridge that connected Celadon and Fuchsia was incredibly boring and that they could at least fish on the boat.

Ash had enjoyed the ferry; for him, it was a bit like being on a moving pokémon center. He got to eat in a cafeteria, watch movies, and sleep in a bed for a few days while they crossed the water. Misty had enjoyed the ocean and the fishing. She even caught a horsea during the trip.

Brock had hated it. He couldn't let any of his pokémon out to train, he hadn't liked the food, and he had gotten seasick on the first day. He had been the first one off the ferry.

The ferry had dropped them off at a small port town and it was there that Brock had remembered that the Laramie Ranch was in the area. He had then talked with Ash about it, who had wanted to visit it after hearing about it.

(If Ash had been a more suspicious sort he might have wondered if Brocks' request to make a detour was some sort of petty vengeance attempt against Misty suggesting the ferry.)

They had set out from the small town on foot, heading for their destination. They were currently travelling through another set of grasslands, north of Fuchsia City.

They came to the top of a small hill and Ash took the opportunity to look around. Gentle hills covered in snow surrounded them as far as the eye could see, dazzling with reflected sunlight. Ash saw brown shapes on the horizon to the north-east, part of the mountain chain that ran by Lavender Town extending down Kanto's eastern coast. To the south, at the very edge of his vision, he could see the beginnings of the lush forests that had to be part of the Safari Zone that he had heard about.

Silence filled the crisp cold air around him; there were no birds or flying types to sing during this season. There was no wind either and the only sounds that he had heard before he stopped had been the snow crunching under his and his companion's feet. The smell of wet dirt, from the snow that had soaked into the earth, wafted through the air.

"It's….." Brock spoke up from beside Ash and the boy realized that his companions must have stopped when he had. "It's…. It's peaceful." Brock eventually said.

"Yeah," Misty agreed from Ash's other side. "We didn't get this sort of scenery around Cerulean."

"Same with Pewter," Brock replied. "Too many people, too many mountains. And I never had time to go hiking after I became the gym leader."

"My sisters would never let me go hiking, not without their supervision, and they didn't like to go," Misty complained. "I think I went about twice in my life before I took some survival classes for my journey."

"I- uh," Ash rubbed the back of his head. "I sort of got to hike a lot when I lived by Lavender Town, but my parents-" his pokémon ones "- didn't like me going outside too much when it was cold."

"You've mentioned that," Misty said. "They were worried about you getting sick, right?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded.

"So, it looks like none of us got to enjoy views like this before," Brock pointed out.

"Seems so," Misty said while Ash nodded in agreement.

"Then aren't you glad I suggested stopping by the Laramie Ranch?" Brock said, a little smirk on his face.

"Yeah!" Ash agreed with a wide smile. Misty just shot Brock a dirty look.

"We could have had some nice views if we had taken the coast down to the city," Misty pointed out. "And we could have gone fishing or swimming or-"

"It is **way** too cold to go swimming," Brock interrupted.

"No, it's not!" Misty protested. "Especially if you've got an insulated wetsuit."

"Aaron and I don't have any kind of wetsuit!"

"Well you should have thought of that sooner!"

_They're being loud again, _Pikachu complained from inside the hood of Ash's winter jacket. _Make them be quiet._ Pikachus didn't hibernate during the winter, but they did tend to sleep more. As such Ash's starter had taken to napping in Ash's hood or draped around his trainer's neck.

"Guys, I think you're bothering Pikachu," Ash told the other two.

"Oh, sorry," Misty said in a much quieter voice. Brock didn't say anything, though he looked like he was rolling his eyes.

They resumed their journey, crunching through snow, going up and down hills and across flat stretches of land. The three humans traveled until the sun started to get low on the horizon. It was then that they heard a rumbling in the distance.

"What's that?" Misty asked, pokéball in hand.

"I don't know," Brock said, also holding a pokéball. "It sounds big, whatever it is."

"I think it's coming from over there," Ash said, pointing to the south-east where he thought he saw movement.

"Whatever it is, let's just be ready for it," Misty said. "Go Starmie!"

"Go Onix!" Brock followed her lead.

"Pikachu, wake up!" Ash shouted, fishing the electric type out of his hood.

White light blazed as Pikachu jumped off of Ash and then joined Onix and Starmie standing before the humans.

"Everyone, get behind Onix just to be safe," Brock said, taking shelter. Ash and Misty joined him.

The rumbling grew louder, closer, and within a minute Ash and his companions could see the source. A herd of tauros were stampeding across the land, tails lashing to and fro, heads tossing as they charged forward.

"Onix, get out of the way!" Brock commanded. "Everyone stay behind Onix!"

Onix slithered out of the path of the herd, while the humans and the other pokémon followed. But even as they did that, there was a burst of orange by the herd. Ash thought he saw flames as something zoomed to the front of the herd and the whole group skidded to a stop in a flurry of snow.

"Hey there! Ya'll can come out now!" A woman's voice called out. Ash, Brock, and Misty all filed out from behind Onix to see what was going on.

A woman with blue hair and blue eyes, dressed in modern-day riding clothes, sat on top of an equine pokémon that had fire in the place of a mane, a rapidash. The tauros herd was still behind her, the pokémon acting much calmer now.

"Thanks for that," Misty said, recalling Starmie.

"Yeah!" Ash said, nodding. "That was going to hurt."

Brock didn't say anything. Ash glanced over at him and saw that the older boy was fighting to keep a blush off of his face. Ash heard Misty sigh and then saw her elbow Brock in the side.

"Oh! Right, thank you very much!" Brock said hastily, cheeks still red. "Uh…. I'm probably wrong, it's just I've read some articles and they had pictures, and I might be totally off the mark, but it really looks like you are, and I'm so sorry if I'm wrong, but, uh, are you Lara Laramie?"

"Ya got some mighty fine eyes there," the woman exclaimed, beaming at Brock. "That's me alright!"

"I guess that means we're close to the ranch at least," Misty muttered, before speaking up. "Anyway, hi Lara, I'm Misty."

"I'm Aaron!"

"And, uh, I'm Brock," the former gym leader said, swallowing.

"Nice ta meet y'all! And I'm sorry 'bout all that," Lara said, trotting her rapidash closer. "They sometimes get spooked and it's better ta let them tire themselves out when that happens."

_Better yet, it gives us an excuse to have a bit of a run, _her rapidash said. _It is the only excitement that we get on days that we must spend tending to the herds._

"It's okay," Ash said as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulders and climbed into his hood. "We were actually going to visit your ranch. Are we going the right way?"

"It ain't exactly my ranch," Lara said, rubbing the back of her head. "It's my family's. But y'all are heading in the right direction."

"Thanks," Ash nodded. "Let's keep going!"

"Well, if y'all are willing ta wait a little bit I can actually take you there," Lara told them. "I just want ta wait a few minutes ta let the tauros calm down."

"Think we can keep up on foot?" Misty asked.

"Well, if ya can't, one of y'all can ride with me and the others can ride some of the tauros," Lara told her, peering closely at her. "Ya look familiar. You wouldn't happen ta be from Cerulean City would ya?"

"Yes," Misty said, gritting her teeth.

"Are ya the little sister of the gym leaders!" Lara asked, leaning forward on her mount to grab Misty's hand excitedly.

"Yes," Misty sighed.

"I'm such a huge fan!" Lara squealed, shaking Misty's hand. "I've got a bunch of posters of them and I've seen recordings of a bunch of their shows!"

"A lot of people have," Misty grumbled.

"I've always wanted ta see them in person! Do you think you could get me an autograph?" Lara went on, leaning further off of her pokémon. "Ooooooohh! Can I get your autograph!?"

"I'll- Wait, what? You want my autograph?" Misty brightened up. "Well, uh, do you have a pen and some paper with you? I can do it right now!"

"Ah, shucks, I don't have any," Lara sighed. "Well, there should be some back at the ranch."

"I'll do it right away when we arrive!" Misty exclaimed. "When do we leave?"

* * *

Lara picked three tauroses from the herd for Ash, Brock, and Misty to ride back with her. According to the blue-haired pokémon rancher, they were the three most docile members of the herd and would be the easiest to ride.

_Last thing I wanted to do today was haul a bunch of humans home on a full stomach, _Ash's tauros grumbled. _At least you're small. _

_Hey! I'm still growing! _Ash protested. _I'm only twelve!_

_ Well, that's- Wait a moment! _The tauros looked over its shoulder at Ash. _Did you just speak properly? _

_ No, you're just hearing things, _Ash said with a straight face. _You must have eaten too much. _

_ That- Hey, wait a minute, _the tauros glared at Ash out of the side of his eye. _You must think that you're very clever….._

_ He's awful, _Pikachu piped up. _He does this with every pokémon he meets._

_ Why haven't you taught him some manners yet? _

_ He's just too stupid to be taught. _

Ash simply sighed while the two pokémon complained about him.

Lara came over to make sure everyone was situated and then gave them the basic instructions on how to safely ride the pokémon. Once she was sure everyone understood, she got back on her rapidash and led the herd away.

Ash found that riding a running tauros was a very different experience than sitting on one that was walking sedately. He was jostled a lot more and had to take care to hold on with his hands and knees. Pikachu complained about not being able to nap the entire trip.

The ranch wasn't what Ash was expecting either. He had thought that there would be a few wooden buildings and a wooden corral, the sort of thing he had seen in books and in one old movie that he had seen at a pokémon center. Maybe a barn as well.

He was not expecting to find a collection of things that looked like a cross between a tent and a hut. There were round canvas structures like tents, but looked more solid and had brightly decorated doors instead of flaps. Some of them were plain canvas, some had various geometric patterns, and some looked like they were covered in calligraphy.

Ash racked his brain for what the things were called. A half-forgotten memory from school rose to the forefront, something about how the nomadic tribes who had once occupied Kanto had lived in structures called yurts or gers.

"Oh, I forgot about this," Brock said as the herd came to a halt. "It's time for the big race, isn't it?"

"Race?" Ash asked.

"Yep!" Lara nodded. "The Fuchsia Free-For-All is this month!"

"The what-for-what-for all?"

"The Fuchsia Free-For-All," Lara repeated. "Ain't you ever heard of it?"

"No," Ash shook his head.

"That's just too bad then," Lara sighed. "Here I was kinda hopin' that y'all were heading ta the ranch to compete. Ah, well, at least I get ta give y'all the grand speech." Lara cleared her throat.

"_Listen up,_" Lara said, but something about her voice, her words, seemed off to Ash. He could understand what she was saying, but it didn't sound how human speech normally sounded to him. "_I've got something important to tell you knuckleheads!_"

"Oh, is that Kantoese?" Misty asked.

"It is!" Lara exclaimed, sounding much more normal. "Do you speak it?"

"Sorry," Misty shook her head. "I just recognize it from a bunch of historical movies. What does it mean?"

"It means 'Pay heed to my words those gathered here, for they are of great import'," Lara told the younger girl, which Ash figured was close enough what he had heard.

"It's rare to meet someone who speaks it," Brock commented. "Judging by the gers I take it your family tries to keep the old traditions alive?"

"There's no point in just knowing that most of us are descended from the tribes if no one's willin' ta keep the memory of how they lived and spoke alive," Lara said while nodding. "Nowadays most kids just learn about their heritage from books and movies. They don't even try ta live part of it!"

"Well, kids like Aaron here get to live part of it, when they go on their pokémon journeys" Brock pointed out, sliding off his tauros.

"They only get ta taste a part of it," Lara replied, shaking her head. "They don't know what it's like ta travel as a family, ta eat and sing under the stars. Lots a places had pokémon journeys. Not as many lived on the road."

"I guess," Brock shrugged. "But not every part of the tribes did either. Some of them were only semi-nomadic."

"And that's still more than today's kids are getting'," Lara retorted. "I'm not sayin' that everyone should pack their bags and hit the roads, but would it kill them ta take a few weeks out of their year and try to live the old life?"

"Eh," Brock shrugged. "So, you live like this year-round?"

"Only during the winter, as part of the festival around the big race," Lara said. "Oh, and ya got me going on about this again."

"I take it that this is a subject you're passionate about," Brock inquired.

"You betcha!" Lara said, snapping and winking. "Right, the grand speech."

She coughed again and then launched into her speech. "_Listen and pay attention! I've got something important to tell you knuckleheads!_", and then she switched back to Sinnohese.

"Once the nomadic tribes warred among themselves! In time they realized that this was foolish and decided to settle their disputes in a new way!" Ash noticed that Lara was doing her best to suppress her accent during the speech. "Every year they would gather here for the Grand Race! A test of wisdom, endurance, and most importantly, a test of courage! We gather here in honor of those bygone days and those bygone peoples!"

Ash, Brock, and Misty politely clapped when she was finished.

"That's mighty kind of y'all, thanks," Lara said. "It's a fun bit, but it lays it on a bit thick."

"So, what's the race like?" Ash asked.

"You ride your pokémon ta the top of a big mountain and grab a flag," Lara explained, grinning sheepishly. "In the past they'd wait until there was a storm ta make it challenging for riders with flyin' types, but nowadays we do it differently. They can't go above a certain height and they've got ta hit the ground at checkpoints."

"Sounds troublesome, but there's not much else you can do," Brock said.

"Yeah…." Lara sighed. And then she immediately brightened up again. "The autograph! Hold still y'all, I'll be right back!" She and her rapidash took off at a full gallop, racing to one of the gers, while Ash and his companions waited awkwardly.

"Here ya go!" Lara shouted as she came back at full gallop, waving a notepad and a pen.

"Right," Misty nodded, taking the items. She uncapped the pen and then stared at the notepad. "Uh…" Misty's cheeks reddened. "What do I…. I mean what do you want me to say?"

"Just say 'For Lara, from the youngest Sensational Sister'", the blue-haired woman told her.

"You mean from the Runt," Misty snorted as she wrote. "I'm not exactly one of the 'Sensational Sisters'."

"I know, but I've still seen you in some of their shows," Lara told her, taking the pen and paper back. "And I'm pretty sure that you've helped with some of their pokémon."

"I mean, I did help raise some of them," Misty looked down, one arm hanging limp, the opposite hand on that elbow. "But it was just to teach me."

"So, ya still helped, didn't ya?" Lara asked. "Even if you were learning at first ya still were able ta help them later. When we're teachin' youngin's they're a bit of a burden at first, but they start being helpful real quick!"

"I guess," Misty admitted. "But I still didn't do too much. Everybody at the gym helps raise the pokémon."

"And I've seen ya in some of the shows they put on," Lara continued.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Misty groaned. "But even then, I usually just had a bit part."

"Again, you were learnin'," Lara pointed out. "But you did good with those parts and you were great when they gave you underwater dancin' parts."

"Thanks," Misty said, face turning a shade or two redder. "But I wish I had said no to those parts. My sisters took my participation as a sign that I was going to focus on performing. I like underwater dancing, but it's just a hobby. Pokémon training and battling is my passion."

"Ya would've done great with them, but if ya need ta go down a different road then there's no helpin' it," Lara said with a smile and a shrug.

"Anyway, how come you're a fan of my sisters," Misty asked. "I didn't think that their performances were that popular outside of Cerulean City."

"Oh, they got fans all over Kanto," Lara told her. "Our contest circuit still has another couple of years 'til it's big and we don't have any official Pokémon Performers. Your sisters are the closest thing we got 'round these parts."

"Oh, trust me, they'd probably love to drop the gym and go off and be Coordinators or Performers," Misty said, rolling her eyes. "But I never would've guessed that you would be a fan of that stuff."

"'Cause of the hard-ridin' vibes I give off," Lara laughed. "I get where you're comin' from, but it's way off the mark. I just like seein' all the different things the pokémon can do. Battlin's fine and all, but there's so much else they can do. Whether they're doin' jobs or they're performin' or bein' part of a contest, it's all great ta see. It's fun seein' where the pokémon we raise can end up."

"Oh, I can get that," Brock said. "I mean isn't that one of the big reasons people become breeders and ranchers in the first place?"

"That's true," Lara agreed. "I was born into it, but most of the people we hire are like that. They also tend ta be fans of your sisters, Misty."

"I probably should keep that a secret," Misty mused, "so their egos don't get any bigger."

"Can you at least tell them about me?" Lara asked. "I'd really like their autograph!"

* * *

Lara insisted that Ash and his companions should stay at the ranch for the next few days and she eventually convinced them. They spent the rest of the day talking with some of the people at the ranch. Ash kept trying to get some time alone with the pokémon, but there were no opportunities.

They ate under the stars of the winter night sky and then passed the evening away listening to old tales and old songs that their hosts were dedicated to keeping alive. After that, they were given a guest ger for the night.

Noise from outside woke them up all too early, before the sun had risen. The ranchers were already up and making breakfast when Ash, Brock, and Misty emerged from their ger, rubbing at their bleary eyes.

There was a wide selection of dishes for their first meal, from raw egg over rice, to grits and eggs, to biscuits and gravy and many more options besides. Ash made sure to have some of each, to the amusement of the cooks. Brock sampled some of each dish as well, though not to the extent that Ash had, and then compared notes with the cooks while drinking coffee out of a tin mug. Misty was gently but firmly rebuffed from getting some coffee of her own.

"I'll stunt **your** growth…." She muttered, storming off with her arms crossed.

After breakfast, the Ash and his friends joined the ranchers as they went about their day.

First, the pokémon were fed a small meal to start the day to tide them over until they could be taken out to pasture to feed themselves. Troughs were filled with bulks of dried plants and a bit of pokéchow and then the pokémon were turned loose to vacuum up the food. From there, the ranchers split up into groups.

Ash and Misty went with Lara to inspect the herds, while Brock talked with some of the breeders. Ash learned how to check the hooves of tauroses, miltanks, and ponytas for problems, how to inspect the coats of ponytas and dodous. They gathered eggs from a small group of chansey and inspected the winter wool coats of mareeps, which, for reasons he didn't understand, stirred a sense of nostalgia in Ash.

Ash saw Brock talking with someone near a herd of rhyhorns while Lara went on to show them where they kept the sandslashes. Lara demonstrated to Ash and Misty how they had the sandslashes keep their claws sharp by clearing away rocks and told them that later the sandslashes would be taken to a quarry to cut some stone, both as an exercise for the sandslashes and to get some building materials for the ranch.

Next, they saw a group of growlithes who were racing about and play-fighting with each other. Lara explained that they helped guard the herds against poachers and predators. Later the ranchers would run through some obedience and battle training with the fire-types.

Lara continued taking them through the ranch and explained what they would be working on with each group of pokémon. The exercises or training the pokémon were undergoing were usually related to either providing the ranch with raw material they would sell, providing a service on the ranch, or to develop the pokémon into a specimen that would be in demand for trainers, industry, and the occasional coordinator or performer.

Then it was time for lunch. Everyone gathered for a quick meal of some grilled meats, leftovers from breakfast, some miso soup dishes, riceballs, and sandwiches.

Next the herbivores were taken out to pasture to graze, while the carnivores were fed more specialized diets. Lara took the tauroses out again, giving Ash and Misty mounts from the herd once more.

_You again, _the tauros grumbled as Ash got on. _Learned any manners lately? _

_ No, he hasn't, _Pikachu sighed from Ash's shoulder. _I try and try, but this child will not learn! _

_ Oh, shut it you two._

They all rode several miles from the ranch to a patch of tall grass that pokéd out of the thin layer of snow. The tauros immediately began to graze while Ash and Misty went over to talk to Lara.

"Thanks for giving us the tour," Misty said.

"Aw, shucks, it was my pleasure," Lara replied. "I love showing off the ranch ta visitors."

"Well, thanks still," Ash said. He had gotten a chance to talk with some of the pokémon about their experiences during theduring the morning. In a somewhat depressing turn of events, their experiences growing up on the ranch sounded a bit like his own memories of being raised by pokémon to live as a human. Drills and exercises made a similar enough substitute for studying and math problems.

"Do you get a lot of visitors?" Misty asked.

"We get a fair number," Lara answered. "Plenty of people lookin' ta adopt a new pokémon, breeders lookin' ta make matches, and plenty of tourists comin' down ta gawk. It's how we stay in business."

"How does it work?" Ash asked. "I mean not selling pokémon, but adopting them." He knew that they weren't selling pokémon like livestock (the ranch pokémon wouldn't put up with it), but he wasn't sure how adoption could be profitable.

"There's still fee if that's what you're askin' about," Lara told him. "Though we put it in the bank for a while in case the pokémon needs ta come back, so we can refund the money."

"That's enough?"

"People will pay a lot ta adopt our pokémon," Lara said with a proud grin. "Ya also saw some of the other stuff we sell, like the wool and the eggs. It's enough ta keep us afloat. Heck, it's more than enough. We can also host the race and do our historical exhibits."

"Is the race expensive?" Misty inquired.

"It can be," Lara answered. "We've got ta set up the course, get medical supplies, and then there's the party after that."

"Is it worth it?" Ash asked.

"Darn tootin!" Lara swung her fist in excitement. "The Fuchsia Free-For-All is just grand! There ain't nothin' like bravin' the elements and the mountains, ground flying beneath your pokémon, wind in your hair as ya jockey for position!" Lara sighed.

"I wish I could do it again," she said, deflating on her rapidash.

"Why can't you?" Ash asked, tilting his head. She and her rapidash looked perfectly fine to him.

"I already won twice," Lara smiled ruefully. "It's against the rules for me ta race again."

"What?" Ash exclaimed. It didn't strike the boy as very fair that she couldn't keep doing something she obviously enjoyed so much.

"It's ta give everyone a chance ta win," Lara explained.

"That's not how it normally works," Misty said. "What's the rationale behind that rule?"

"It's 'cause of the reward," Lara told her. "The winner becomes an honorary clan member and we want ta spread that around."

"Can't they just give that to the second-place winner?" Misty inquired.

"Nah, it would be too much like pity then," Lara shook her head. "But, it's no use worrin' 'bout it. I can still ride the course for practice and I can still watch the race."

"But it's not as fun," Ash said, looking at the ground. "Is it?"

"No. But it's fun talking ta the people who visit for the race," Lara smiled, a touch sadly. "That's why I was so excited when I met ya yesterday. I thought ya might be entering the race. It would've been fun ta talk to ya about that."

An idea struck Ash. It wasn't a crazy idea and he didn't think it was a stupid one, but he felt like he would be insulted for it later by a certain yellow creature standing on his shoulder.

"I'll do the race!" Ash declared.

_What? _Pikachu slapped himself on the forehead. _Oh, of course you're gonna…_

"You want to join the race," Misty sighed, massaging her temples with one hand. "Of course, you do."

"Yes!" Lara pumped her fist. "I know one of ya would want ta join!"

* * *

"Do you even have a pokémon you can ride?" Brock asked when everyone was back at the ranch. He, Ash, and Misty were sitting around in the ger that had been assigned to them. Pikachu had decided to nap on the pillow on Ash's cot.

"Uh….." Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe?"

"Really? Which one?" Brock crossed his arms and leaned back.

"Uh….." Ash thought for a moment. "Pidgeotto!" He exclaimed finally. "Pidgeotto can carry me!"

"Is that even allowed?" Misty asked, lying on her cot and staring at the ceiling, idly kicking her feet. "I thought you had to ride the pokémon, not get carried by it."

"Well, um…." Ash realized that he didn't know the answer to that question. "Maybe. I'll ask. And even if I can't get carried, there's something else I might try. I'll have to talk to Pidgeotto first, about the other thing, to see if she'll do it."

"You really just did this on a whim, didn't you?" Misty sighed, letting her palm fall onto her face. "Aaron, you really need to learn to look before you leap."

"You should go apologize to Lara for getting her hopes up," Brock told him. "And tell her not to register you. Did you have to pay an entrance fee?"

"It was only a little money," Ash said. "And I'm not going to apologize unless there's no way I can do the race!"

"This is really reckless," Brock said, getting up. "Even if you could take Pidgeotto, this could be dangerous."

"Duh," Ash replied. "But that's just life."

Brock's face adopted an odd expression, one that Ash couldn't place.

If the pokéraised child had been more inclined to reflection, he might have realized that Brock would've gotten the wrong impression about what he had just said. Ash had been thinking of life in the wilds, about the cycle of predators and prey, and about his hunters.

Meanwhile, Brock had thought that the boy was referring to the various encounters with Team Rocket that Ash had endured.

"Maybe," Brock said eventually. "But that doesn't mean you need to seek out more."

"Well, this is going to be fun," Ash said, hands on his hips. "Hey, that's why you don't want me to do this! I'm going to have fun and win and you two will be all jealous 'cause you know you wouldn't be able to do as good as me, you slowpokes!"

"That's-" Brock began, but was interrupted.

"Oh, I could totally beat you in a race," Misty said, standing up. "Starmie and I used to beat all the kids in Cerulean whenever we raced!"

"Yeah, well, I was never there!" Ash retorted, turning to face her.

"I doubt a shrimp like you could beat me and Starmie!" Misty exclaimed, glaring at Ash and getting in his space.

"Prove it then McBossypants!" Ash leaned forward and matched her glare with one of his own. "Why don't you enter the race too!"

"You know what? I will!" Misty shouted. "And I'll beat you and force you to eat your words you shrimp!"

"You wanna bet?"

"What, do you want to make a wager too?" Misty smirked. "Yeah, I'll bet on it!"

"Oh, really? Fine, if I win, then you, uh-" Ash tried to think of something he wanted Misty to do that would work as a bet.

"If I win, then you'll have to buy lunch every day when I'm in Fuchsia City!" Misty crossed her arms, looking smug.

"Well, if I win, then you'll have to buy **me** lunch!" Ash replied, pointing at her.

"Oh, look at the ditto here, copying whatever I do," Misty stuck out her tongue. "What's next, are you going to become a water-type specialist?"

"No, I'm going to beat you in a race!" Ash declared, stomping over to the entrance of the ger. "But first I gotta ask Lara about the rules!" And then he left.

There was a moment of peace and quiet after that, the two humans looking at the door. And then Brock turned to look at Misty, raising an eyebrow.

"What," she asked when she caught the look.

"That came out of left field. You never told any of us you used to race."

"It was when I was ten," Misty informed him. "I wanted to start my trainer's journey then, like everyone else in town was doing, but my sisters said no. So that summer, I started sneaking out at night and joined an underground racing circuit. It was actually how I trained Starmie to function on land."

"Did your sisters ever catch you?"

"Almost," Misty admitted. "They found some shoe prints on the windowsill. I managed to talk my way out of that, but decided it wasn't worth the risk to keep going."

"And Aaron joining the race dredged the memories of that summer back up all of the sudden?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it was him using slowpoke as an insult," Misty clenched her fist. "So what if they're not the fastest pokémon? They're still great water-types!"

"Fair enough," Brock said.

They were silent for a little while before Brock spoke again.

"Does this have anything to do with your new fan?" Brock asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Brock explained. "You met someone who was impressed with you enough to ask for your autograph and now they're paying attention to Aaron so you decided to show off."

"What, no! That's got nothing to do with this!" Misty protested.

"If you say so…." Brock sighed. Another period of silence passed before he spoke up again.

"You do realize that if he wins, he can decide to linger in Fuchsia City, right? And if you win, he can just rush through there."

"Well, I'll at least get one lunch out of this," Misty harrumphed, crossing her arms.

"If that's what you think….." Brock said. He reclined back on his cot and sighed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I thought so."

Another sigh.

"Watch it!"

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank laurwest and amationary for beta reading!

Hoping to do a few things with character and world-building in this little mini-arc.

My buffer is partially rebuilt, but writing is still going slower than I'd like, mainly thanks to the goddamn heat. Hopefully now that it's nearly autumn that problem will go away. For now weekly releases are back in effect for the next few chapters at least.

Anyway, don't forget to review!


	40. Chapter 40

The next day Ash found a nice secluded bit of grassland and let Pidgeotto out.

_So, I don't know if you were listening… You know, I've never asked, but when you're in your pokéball how do you hear? _Ash scratched at his head. _Are you always listening? _

_ Nah, _Pidgeotto shook her head. _It's more like a nice, light nap where you're sort of awake, but not really? So, the sounds are there, but unless it's something big, or interesting, or you feel like waking up, you don't really notice them._

_ Oh, alright, _Ash nodded. _Anyway-_

_ This idiot has decided to enter a race that he isn't qualified for, _Pikachu interrupted, leaning between the other two. _And now he wants to see if you want to try to evolve in the next week so he can join the race and ride you. _

_ Hey!_

_ Was anything I said incorrect? _Pikachu asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

_Yeah, I'm not an idiot! _Ash protested.

_Really? You're going to say that after you pulled this stunt? _Pikachu's expression didn't change.

_ Yes, because we can make it work! _Ash exclaimed, turning back to Pidgeotto. _Do you want to give it a shot? _

_ Evolution, huh….. _Pidgeotto looked off into the distance. _I haven't thought about that in a while. Not since, well, I evolved. _

_ Why didn't you? _Ash asked.

_No idea, I just didn't, _Pidgeotto shrugged her wings. _I guess I was more worried about making sure that I didn't starve….. though now that I think back, it was nice not having to worry about predators. _

_ You couldn't have been that carefree! _Pikachu exclaimed, crossing his arms. _I know pidgeottos still have predators._

_There aren't many in the Viridian Forest, _Pidgeotto replied. _Not in the areas I lived._ _I was more concerned with getting enough food. Evolving meant I had to eat so much more. _

_ Yeah, stuff like pichus, _Pikachu muttered. _Flying menace. _

_ Anyway, _Ash said loudly, stepping between Pikachu and Pidgeotto. _What do you think about trying to evolve this week? Do you want to do it? Do you think you can do it? _

_ I…. I think I would like to, _Pidgeotto admitted. _I don't know if I can, but I want to try. _

_ Great! _Ash exclaimed with a smile. _Then let's do our best this week! _

_ Well, this should be entertaining, _Pikachu sighed.

* * *

Intense training began that very day. Ash came up with a series of drills for Pidgeotto, involving flying obstacle courses, practicing attacks, and maneuvering with weights. He had asked some of the people around the ranch for tips on how the weights should be used, so he could be reasonably certain that it was safe for Pidgeotto.

After the drills it was time for lunch and then an intense series of practice battles. Pidgeotto ended up battling Bulbasaur, Charmander, Butterfree, and finally Pikachu multiple times before dinner.

_Why did I agree to this? _Pidgeotto asked as she dragged herself off of the ground, the occasional spark jumping off of her feathers.

_Yeah, I'm sort of confused why you would listen to this idiot myself, _Pikachu said. _But then again, I guess I'm just that smart. Ready for the next round? _

_ Oh, like you can talk, _Bulbasaur rolled his eyes at Pikachu. _You're the one that he actually asked to come with him. _

_ And you volunteered to come with, so I don't see your point. _

_ He __**listened to me**__ when I asked to join his team. You __**listened to him**__ when he asked you to join his team. _Bulbasaur smirked. _So, by your own logic…_

_ Do you feel up for another round? _Ash asked Pidgeotto while Pikachu and Bulbasaur bickered.

_I could use a break actually, _Pidgeotto confessed. _And a potion. _

_ Sure, _Ash held out an arm for Pidgeotto to perch on and then went off to find a place to rest. He sat down on a large rock, treated Pidgeotto with a potion, and then sat back to enjoy the view of the sun setting over the snow.

_We'll probably need to head back soon, _Ash commented as the light changed color.

_Good, _Pidgeotto groaned. _I don't know how much more of this I can take. _

_ You do remember that we've got a week of this to go, right? _

_ Oh, no, _Pidgeotto moaned, slumping against the rock. _Why did I agree to this again? _

_ Because you want to evolve? _

_I knew it had to be something, _Pidgeotto sighed.

_If you don't want to do this, we can quit, _Ash reassured the flying type, stroking the top of her head. _I won't mind. _

_ No, _Pidgeotto shook her head. _I want to at least try to do this. _

_ Thanks then, _Ash said. There was a lull and then Ash asked, _Do you have any idea what it's going to be like to be a pidgeot? Were any of your folks pidgeots? _

_ No, _Pidgeotto answered, raising her head from the stone. _My father was a fearow and my mother was a pidgeotto. _

_ Oh. Did you have any siblings? _

_ Four. I was the middle chick, _Pidgeotto answered, staring at the sunset drenched snow.

_What was it like? _

_ Annoying, _Pidgeotto grunted, standing back up. _I got pushed around by the older chicks, who hatched a few days earlier, and most of my parent's attention was given to my younger siblings, who hatched late. _

_ That…. that doesn't seem…. I mean that was… that was something they did wrong, _Ash finally said.

_I don't hold it against them, _Pidgeotto replied. _It was a tough job raising us all until we were ready to leave the nest and they did the best that they could. If they had paid more attention to me then maybe Little Swooper would've died sooner. _

_ One of your siblings didn't make it? _

_ Three didn't actually, _Pidgeotto answered. _Starvation got them. Little Swooper died the first winter after he left the nest, Talons that Strike died two years later, and then Midday Wings died last year. _

_ I'm sorry, _Ash said, putting a hand on Pidgeotto's back.

_It's okay, we weren't close, _Pidgeotto said, staring at the sunset. _I left the nest as soon as I could. I only heard about their deaths because I liked to gossip with some of the spearows who passed through the forest. _

_ Do you still talk to anyone from your family? _

_ I've run into my parents a few times, _Pidgeotto said. _They've raised a few more clutches since mine. Nobody in their latest one's died yet. I've run into Swift Striking Wings a few times. We chat. _

_ You don't consider the other clutches your siblings? _

_ Not really? _Pidgeotto shrugged. _I've never shared a nest with them. I've never even met them. I don't want to meet them either. I liked living alone. _

_ Do you not like being on the team then? _

_ No, actually it's been good, _Pidgeotto said, turning to look at Ash. _I can't say that I ever thought of how it might have been to live like this, but I think it's better than I would have expected. _

_ That's great! _Ash said, smiling.

_ I never would have expected to get along with an arrogant pikachu or a grumpy bulbasaur, _Pidgeotto went on. _I think it's thanks to you._

_ Me?_

_ Well, you keep the peace, you keep us well fed, and you stop us from eating each other. _

_ Well, I mean, that's just how we met, _Ash said, grinning and rubbing the back of his head. _But thanks for saying that. _

The two were quiet for a minute as they enjoyed the sunset.

_You ready for a few more rounds? _Ash asked.

_I guess, _Pidgeotto sighed, getting up. _Just make sure you've got another potion ready._

* * *

The routine of drills, exercises, and practice battles continued on into the next day. Ash had someone check up on Pidgeotto, to make sure the exercises were being done correctly, and chatted a bit more with Lara while Pidgeotto flew an obstacle course.

"How are you going to see how high we are?" Ash asked.

"We've got spotters," Lara explained. "If ya go to high, they'll holler at you ta get down."

"And then we've got to fly under the banners at the checkpoints?"

"Actually, ya got ta have your pokémon touch the ground underneath them."

"Okay," Ash nodded.

"Oh, and ya'll will need to go into the caves in the water part and stay below the treetops in the forested part," Lara informed him. "That's what usually gets fliers, but they're also the best parts of the course."

"Got it," Ash nodded. "I'm looking forward to this! Once Pidgeotto evolves that is."

"I'm lookin' forward ta seeing ya'll race too!" Lara said, smiling and patting him on the shoulder. "Good luck! I'll be rootin' for you and Misty!"

Misty had made sure to tell Ash that she had registered the previous day and that he was doomed to lose. Ash had made sure to tell Misty that he would win and then eat big lunches in Fuchsia.

Their conversation devolved rapidly after that.

After Lara left, Ash continued drilling Pidgeotto for a bit, before stopping for lunch. While he and his team were eating who should decide to stop by but Misty.

"Enjoying lunch?" She asked with a smirk. "I know I'll be enjoying the lunches I'll be eating on your dime in Fuchsia."

"No, 'cause I'm going to win!" Ash protested, putting aside his sandwich.

"Oh, I can't wait to show you otherwise on race day, shrimp!" Misty declared, sticking her tongue out at Ash.

"Bring it Bossypants!" Ash shouted back, sticking his own tongue out.

"Oh, I will midget!"

"Jerkface!"

"Tiny!"

"Grouchy!"

The two bickered while Pidgeotto and Pikachu watched on in amusement, splitting the remnants of Ash's sandwich between them. The fight only started dying down by the time the two pokémon had finished eating.

"Good luck getting Pidgeotto to evolve because if you aren't in the race, I can't laugh as you eat my dust!" Misty shouted as she strode off.

"Thank you! I'll be sure to laugh when you lose!" Ash shouted back.

_Alright, now that you two are done fighting, can I start fighting? _Pidgeotto asked.

_No, I still need to- Hey, where'd my sandwich go?_

* * *

After another two days of intense training, Ash and Pidgeotto found themselves relaxing as they watched the winter sun set again.

_Feeling any closer to evolving? _Ash asked, leaning back against a large rock.

_I think so? _Pidgeotto replied, looking down at herself. _ But it's been a while since I evolved, so I can't be sure. _

_ Well, we've still got three more days before the race, so there's still time, _Ash reassured her.

_ I'll do my best, _Pidgeotto chirped back.

They enjoyed the sunset in silence for a few minutes before Ash spoke up again.

_So, what was it like after you left the nest? _Ash asked, still looking at the colors of the sky. _Was it anything like my journey's turning out? _

_ Let's see… you've nearly died multiple times and you've been chased by things that wanted to kill you, so that's pretty similar to my first year, _Pidgeotto said, _but you haven't nearly starved to death, which was an essential part of my experience. _

_ Was it really that bad? _Ash asked.

_I starved many times during my first winter, _Pidgeotto told him, looking away. _I managed to find some roots or berries to keep me going another few days each time and then I found a nice juicy caterpie that tided me over until spring. _

Ash looked away from Pidgeotto at that moment, his head filling with memories.

_Little Swooper died that winter and ever since I heard that I sometimes wonder why I didn't, what I did different to survive, _Pidgeotto went on without noticing her trainer's behavior. _I think I just got lucky, but sometimes it's hard to accept that._

_ I think a lot of us are alive only because we got lucky, _Ash said, thinking about his own past.

_ Maybe, but accepting it's a tough nut to crack, _Pidgeotto shrugged. _I know a lot of predators starved that winter. It made the next year easier at least._

_ Less competition? _

_ Yeah, _Pidgeotto sighed and then snorted. _It's funny hearing that word now. Competition since I joined the team has almost been a good thing. I'm mean, we're about to race for the fun of it. Even if we lose, we won't starve. _

_ The nice thing about us humans is that we've made it much harder to starve in our world, _Ash smiled.

_ It is great, _Pidgeotto agreed. _But I'm surprised that even with all that food you humans still fight. _

_ One of these days I'll understand why, _Ash sighed. _But at least you don't have to worry about starving as long as you're with me. _

_ I'll hold you to that, _Pidgeotto replied, her beak open in an equivalent of a grin. _After all, you stole my lunch when we met._

* * *

Pidgeotto started showing improvement. During her drills on the next day, she was able to beat her records. She mentioned that the exercises were getting easier, prompting Ash to increase her weights. Her mock battles also went better; she was able to eke out a tie with Bulbasaur and managed to double her time when fighting Pikachu.

_You're getting hard to pin down, _Pikachu panted after nailing Pidgeotto with a Thunderbolt.

_Thanks, _Pidgeotto gasped, picking herself up. _You're still a pain to fight. _

_ Thank you, _Pikachu smirked.

_And you're a pain the rest of the time too. _

_It's part of my electrifying talent, _Pikachu replied, still smirking, _and my shocking personality._

_Well, that's one way to put it, _Ash said. _ I personally prefer to say that it's shocking that you've lasted this long without offending something that can beat you up. _

_ Psh, nothing can beat me! _Pikachu exclaimed. _I'm one of the most amazing electric types in Kanto! _

_ Want to say that to Onix? _Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

_I'm good, _Pikachu said quickly. _Isn't it time for a break? I'm going to go get a snack, you two have fun! _And then Pikachu shot off towards the ger where Ash kept the supplies.

_Was he that bad when you met him? _Pidgeotto asked watching Pikachu recede into the distance.

_Honestly, I think he's gotten a little worse, _Ash answered, watching Pikachu go with a fond smile. _But it's okay, I know he's being affectionate in his own way._

_ Yeah, he's annoying but loyal, _Pidgeotto sighed. _I've never spent so much time around someone I found annoying before. If I was bothered by someone in the wild I either avoided them or tried to eat them. _

_ Let's try to not do those things here, okay? _Ash said.

_Yeah, I know, _Pidgeotto shot Ash a glare. _I wouldn't eat a comrade. It's evil and counterproductive. _

_ Good to hear, _Ash said. _Let's take a break while Pikachu's getting food. _

_ Sure, _Pidgeotto said and then they went off to their usual spot.

_So, what's it like to evolve? _Ash asked once he had sat down.

_It's…. well it's hard to describe, _Pidgeotto answered. _It was like something was burning inside me and then…. I can't really describe it, but I did something and then I felt strong and weak at the same time, I guess? Everything was light, I don't mean like weight, but the entire world was just light. And then it was over and I was Pidgeotto instead of Pidgey. _

_ How was it right after you evolved? _Ash asked, looking over at the flying type curiously.

_ Well, weird again, _Pidgeotto shrugged her wings. _It took me a little while to adjust to the new body. I had trouble hunting and I kept crashing. But I got the hang of moving quick enough. It was how much more I needed to eat that tripped me up. Trying to stick to the routine I had as a pidgey nearly killed me. I had to start hunting more and going after bigger prey. _

_ Well, at least you won't need to worry about hunting more after you evolve, _Ash said, a mite too quickly.

They were quiet for a moment before Pidgeotto spoke again.

_You're really bothered by the fact that I used to hunt, aren't you? _Pidgeotto said, looking Ash straight in the eye. _I know you were hunted by humans, but-_

_ No, _Ash shook his head. _That's not it. _He sighed. _Do you want to hear a story about my first three pokémon friends? _

Ash told Pidgeotto the story of his friendship with the vulpix siblings in Viridian Forest, his meeting with Tail in the Grass, and the sorry ending to the whole affair.

_I'm sorry that you had to go through that, _Pidgeotto said when Ash was done. _But, that's just what happens when you're friends with both the predators and the prey. _

_ I get that now, _Ash muttered, looking down between his feet. _But I didn't at the time. It's why I didn't make too many new friends until I went back to school. _

_ And that's why you're bothered that I used to eat other pokémon? _

_ I'd like to think I'd still be bothered even if that hadn't happened to me, _Ash replied, still looking at the ground. _Besides, I met you when you tried to have Caterpie for lunch, remember?_

_ Good point. _

_ And I'm not mad at you for eating other pokémon, _Ash said, looking at Pidgeotto. _You did what you had to. I'm more bothered that you __**had **__to. _

Pidgeotto shifted uncomfortably.

_There were times where I could have had berries or even fish and I went after pokémon instead, _she confessed.

_Well, I'm not thrilled, but I understand, _Ash reassured her. _Don't worry about it. It's in the past now. And I think I see Pikachu coming back, so let's get back to work._

* * *

It happened the next day.

Pidgeotto was in the middle of a particularly difficult drill, weaving around a series of posts while carrying weights. She had begun to flag during the final stretch, the weights starting to slip out of her talons, her turns starting to get loose and sloppy, her wings were trembling, and it looked like she was about to crash.

But instead she growled and rallied herself; she threw back her head and crowed as she forced herself to complete the turn. She started to glow as she swung around the post. She blazed, white light engulfing her, and then Pidgeotto was no more.

Pidgeot finished the turn with ease and flew over to where Ash was standing. She landed, standing taller than her trainer. A swath of yellow crowned the center of her crest, while her tail feathers had become a uniform reddish brown.

_You did it! _Ash exclaimed, hugging her around the neck. _You evolved! _

The flying type looked down at herself.

_I did! _She said and then looked at Ash. _You're so much smaller now! _She puffed up, seemingly elated, and then cocked her head to the side._ I'm not going to be able to perch on you anymore, _she said, slowly deflating.

_ Yeah, now it's going to be my turn to sit on you, _Ash said, grinning.

_See, this is another excellent argument against evolution, _Pikachu said from his spot-on Ash's shoulder. _You get too big to sit in your favorite places. _

_ Oh, my shoulder is your favorite place? _Ash turned his grin on Pikachu.

_Yes, you make a great- ack! _Pikachu squawked as Ash tipped him off his shoulder and into a hug.

_I like having you there too, buddy, _Ash said.

_ Hey! Don't go- Don't- _Pikachu squirmed and blushed. _Look, just put me back already. _

_ Okay! _Ash said cheerily, putting Pikachu back on his shoulder and then turned back to the flying type. _Pidgeot, want to take me flying? _

_Of course, _Pidgeot said, turning around, spreading her wings, and dipping forward. _But you sure you want to do it bareback? _

_ I don't have any riding gear, _Ash said, climbing on. _Just get ready to catch me if I fall off. _

Ash slid onto Pidgeot's back, gripping her center with his knees, and weaving his hands into the feathers on either side of her back. Pikachu hung his forelimbs around Ash's neck and dug his feet into his jacket.

_Are you ready? _Pidgeot looked over her shoulder.

_Yes! _Ash grinned again, excitement, anticipation, and fear mixing together in his belly to form an intoxicating brew. His body quivered and he gripped Pidgeot tighter.

Pidgeot's wings flapped, blowing swathes of snow away, bending the grass underneath, and then she was airborne.

_Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down, _Ash heard Pikachu chant behind him as Pidgeot shot up and forward. Wind ruffled his hair and whipped his jacket. The ground became a receding blur beneath them.

Ash let out a whoop and Pidgeot cawed in joyous agreement.

_Want to see what you can do? _Ash shouted over the rush of the wind as they rose higher and higher. _Loop de loops, barrel rolls, fancy turns, and all those crazy maneuvers!_

_Sure! _Pidgeotto replied.

_No! _Pikachu shouted, pressing his face into Ash's back. _Not while you're this high up! You don't know how to ride yet! _

_ Uugh…. I guess you're right, _Ash groaned. _Let's just go buzz Misty. _

_ Sure thing, _Pidgeot said, gently banking and heading back towards the ranch.

_I hate this, I hate this, I hate this, _Ash heard Pikachu mutter.

_Why did you come then? _Ash asked. _It's not like I wouldn't have come back to pick you up._

_ Someone had to be the voice of reason to stop you from doing something stupid! Like doing crazy stunts high up in the air while riding bareback on your first flight! _Pikachu was nearly screaming.

Ash was silent for a moment.

_I guess you're right. Thank you for keeping an eye on me, Pikachu. _

_ You can thank me by landing soon!_

* * *

They couldn't find Misty during their initial pass over the ranch, so Ash had Pidgeot land by their ger. Pikachu stumbled inside to sleep off the effects of the flight, while Ash and Pidgeot did some low altitude training.

By the time Brock and Misty returned to the ger, they found the snow around it covered with impressions of Ash's falling body. The boy in question was lying in snow on his back, groaning, next to a concerned looking Pidgeot.

"Good," Misty walked over to his head, put her fists on her hips, and leaned over to look the prone boy in the eye. "You got her to evolve. Now I can have the pleasure of crushing you in the race."

"That's what you think," Ash said, feebly stirring.

"One more day of training and then it's on!" Misty smirked. "You can eat my dust on race day."

"Actually, what with the snow and all, there won't actually be any dust on the route-"

"Shut up Brock."

* * *

Another painful day of training passed, though this time it was Ash who was suffering. He eventually broke down and bought some basic riding equipment from the ranch and spent half an hour getting it on Pidgeot.

_Huh, I can barely feel it, _Pidgeot commented, twisting and flexing after the straps were fastened.

_That means we put it on right, _Ash said, wiping his brow.

By the end of the day, Ash was able to stay on Pidgeot through all sorts of maneuvers. Pikachu still warned him against doing anything risky at higher altitudes and Ash, looking at all the imprints his body had left in the snow, agreed with his starter for once.

When he went back to the tent to rest for the night, he found Misty waiting at the entrance.

"Look, I just wanted to say good luck and make sure to stay safe tomorrow," she said to him before he could ask what she was doing.

"Thanks," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. "Same to you?"

"Thank you," Misty replied and then she smirked. "Not that I'm going to need it. I'm going to beat you tomorrow!"

"No, you won't," Ash declared.

"Face it shrimp, you're a decade too young to beat me!"

"You're only a year older than me!"

"You need a decade to make up for your natural handicap!"

"What?"

"Nevermind," Misty shook her head. "Let's get some sleep. I want you at your best tomorrow when I win."

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.

These chapters are a chance for Pidgetto to take the spot light and to show how both Ash and Misty are competitive little shits at times.

Anyway, don't forget to review/comment!


	41. Chapter 41

The sun shone on the day of the race and the snow nearly glowed with the reflected light. All the competitors were at the starting line. There were around fifty racers, all on a variety of pokémon. There were tauroses, rhyhorns, golducks, exeggutors, a gyarados, a long grass-type that Ash's pokédex called a serperior, arcanines, fearows, a gliscor, a machamp, ponytas, rapidashes, dodrios, noctowls, another pidgeot, some charizards, and even an enterprising trainer standing on an electrode.

Everyone had drawn lots to determine where they would start. Ash and Misty had been placed near the middle of the group. Misty, wearing an insulated black wetsuit, knelt/leaned on the back of Starmie. Ash, dressed in a winter coat, pants, and cap, was seated on Pidgeot's back with Pikachu, checking over the straps one more time.

_Please don't go too high, _Pikachu pleaded.

_Don't worry, that's against the rules, remember? _Pidgeot reassured the electric type.

"Nervous, shrimp?" Misty called out from her spot.

"No!" Ash shouted back.

"Good! Do your best and remember that you're going to owe me lunch every day that we're in Fuchsia City!"

"Sorry, I can't hear you! I'm thinking about what I'll make you pay for when getting lunch!"

Brock sighed from the sidelines. He was standing with a group of trainers who volunteered to help with safety and retrieval during the race. The former gym leader hoped that he wouldn't have to do anything, but figured that he couldn't count on it after the year he'd had thus far.

People from the ranch gave a series of speeches about the nomadic tribes, racing, history, sportsmanship, and the bonds between pokémon and rider. After that Lara rode out, carrying a flag.

"_Listen up! I've got something important to tell you!_" She shouted to the racers in Kantoese. Ash tried to listen to the sounds instead of the meaning, like he did with Sinnohese, but there was too much going on for him to do that.

"Y'all should know the drill by now," Lara continued. "Y'all should have seen the maps. Y'all should know where the flag is. Y'all know the rules, no direct attacks on the other racers, don't go too high, and make sure to hit every checkpoint. Mess any of these up and you're disqualified! Got it?"

There was a chorus of affirmations from the waiting racers.

"Good! Now I'm gonna count down and then wave this here flag! That'll be your signal to go!" Lara rode to the side of the track and held the flag aloft. Ash followed it closely.

"Good luck everyone! Do your best, y'all hear me now? And ta all the pokémon here today, y'all are great!" Lara shouted. "Now, for the big moment. Ready!"

Ash leaned forward, gripping Pidgeot tighter.

"Set!"

The flag was lifted higher.

"Go!"

And then it was chaos!

Pidgeot and the other flying-types took to the air, getting above the rest of the herd as they surged forward, snow churning and flying beneath them. Ash saw Misty and Starmie weave around several large pokémon as they tried to gain an early lead. Out of the corner of his eye he saw some of the other flying racers start to pull ahead of him and Pidgeot.

_Let's get moving! _Ash said, holding Pidgeot tighter. _Show them what you're made of! _

_ Oh no, _Pikachu whined from Ash's back.

Wind rushed around Pidgeot and wind rushed from her wings as she surged forward. The other flying types began to fall behind and Pidgeot sped over the ground-based racers. Everything around Ash and Pidgeot began to blur as the chilling air whipped and grabbed at them. Ash hunched down to make them more aerodynamic and looked ahead.

According to the pokédex, some high-level pidgeots had been known to break the sound barrier. Ash knew that Pidgeot wouldn't be doing that in this race, but as more and more of the competition fell behind, he could see how that would one day be a possibility for her.

The first stretch of the race was over a flat plain, covered in glittering white unmarred snow. It was here that the flying types and the fastest ground bound pokémon pulled ahead of the pack. Ash could see that the other pidgeot and its rider were slowly falling behind, as were all the other racers.

Ash grinned at the sight and then frowned as he realized what it meant.

_Pidgeot, slow down a little, _he said over the roar of the wind, resisting the urge to slap his forehead. _We need to save energy for later! _

_ Right! _Pidgeot nodded and obeyed. The world wasn't as blurred and the wind wasn't as ferocious. Ash looked back and saw the other competitors were now keeping pace with him.

_Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, _Pikachu muttered. _Why did I want to do this again? _

_ Because you don't trust me to stay out of trouble? _Ash said.

_You __**don't**__ stay out of trouble! _

The race over the plains continued. Ash and Pidgeot flew low enough to the ground that the wind from their wake traced trails into the snow, kicking up a powdery white mist behind them. They and the other flying racers struggled for first place while doing their best to conserve energy. The racers on the ground mirrored their actions, slowly gaining on the fliers, followed by a billowing white cloud of disturbed snow.

They saw the first checkpoint and everyone began to clump together, falling in line to fit between the poles and under the banner. Two riders on fearows pulled ahead of Pidgeot and then immediately started trying to bump each other out of the way.

_Stay behind them, _Ash said by Pidgeot's ear.

_ Sure, _she said as she complied.

One fearow managed to slap the other across the face with its wing, causing the other to roll away and crash into the snow. It cawed in triumph and then slowed down to land beneath the checkpoint. Its talons brushed the ground as race officials with visual recorders watched and then it shot right back into the air.

Ash and the other flying types right behind it mimicked its actions and then they all began jockeying for position again in the open sky. Ash took a split second to look behind him and saw a speck of orange darting through the other competitors.

Ash grinned and then told Pidgeot to pick up the pace.

* * *

The race over the plains continued for another hour. By the time the final checkpoint for that section came into view, the competition had thinned. A good portion of the ground bound pokémon had fallen behind or dropped out and some of the flying ones had joined them.

The checkpoint that marked the end of the first part of the race was situated before a sheer cliff, right in front of a cave entrance. From what Lara had told him, the first part of the race had been a test of speed and endurance, while the second part was a test of control and agility.

The flying pokémon touched the ground under the checkpoint and then launched themselves into the cave.

Strings of lanterns were hung on the sides of the wall, illuminating the interior as the flying types wove through the stalactites and stalagmites and then came to a sharp turn. Beyond that water rushed and roared like the wind had done earlier as the track hit an underground river, flowing too fast to freeze. The ceiling hung lower and the fliers were forced to slow down and skim over the surface of the rapids, stinging spray washing over people and pokémon alike.

It was then that the ground-bound pokémon caught up. Two rapidashes and a rhyhorn burst through the turn behind them. Roaring, the rhyhorn shot straight through the river, well trained enough to overcome the psychological distress of immersion and the irritation of water running through the tiny faults and cracks in its hide. Flames hissing from the whitewater spray, the rapidashes daintily jumped from exposed rock to rock, not letting even the tips of their hooves dip into the river.

And then the rest of the remaining racers joined them.

"Crap! Faster!" Ash shouted as he saw the crowd of pokémon charge in behind them.

Pidgeot sped up, trying to keep ahead of the large pokémon ramming through the water and rock behind them, ahead of the more agile pokémon jumping around them, and ahead of the water-types who were finally in their natural environment.

A tremendous sound filled the caves and everyone moved to the sides of the course as the gyarados blasted down the middle of the pack, bowling over smaller pokémon who failed to get out of the way. Ash and Pikachu clung tight to Pidgeot as she banked away from the mass of blue scales that went blew past them.

Once it was past, but before the other racers could return to their previous positions, something raced through the gap that gyarados had made, something purple with a flame haired girl on its back.

"Misty!" Ash growled, shaking a fist as she and Starmie cut through the raging river and got in front of him and Pidgeot.

"Told you that you'd be eating my dust today!" Misty shouted back, sticking her tongue out at him.

"No, I won't!" Ash steered Pidgeot back into the center of the course and urged her to speed up. They surged ahead of Misty and then dropped down to cut her off. He looked back and stuck his own tongue out at her.

"Nice try!" Misty smirked and then Starmie launched itself out of the stream, propelled by jets of water from its back-facing prongs. Ash gaped as they flew over his head and then shook the water out of his hair.

"Get 'em, Pidgeot!" Ash ordered.

The two friends began to jockey for position as they traveled through the twists and turns of the tunnels. Ash and Pidgeot would attempt to overtake her via the air and then try to cut her off. Misty would then fake him out and dart around him using Starmie's Water Gun attack to boost their speed. Their struggle continued until the stream deepened.

"Ha!" Misty crowed, before pulling ahead and disappearing into the depths.

Ash grit his teeth as he watched her go. Pidgeot couldn't go much faster without risking a crash. Race officials and volunteers were following close behind the main body of racers to collect anyone in trouble, but anyone collected would be disqualified. Ash had gained an early lead due to the terrain and now the terrain dictated that he had to hold speed and let others pass him.

They wove through the cave system, speeding over and around rapids, racing over an underground waterfall and over the placid surface of an underwater lake lit by hanging lanterns reflected in the water like man made stars.

By that point even more racers had dropped out, either succumbing to exhaustion in the cold water, or having crashed the cave walls. The gyarados surged through the center of the lake, towards where the river resumed, Misty and Starmie following in its wake. Ash urged Pidgeot forward, hoping to make up the distance before they were crammed into the confines of another tunnel. The other fliers were doing the same thing, while the running pokémon dashed across a trail on the side of the lake.

"Not bad!" The rider of the other pidgeot in the race, a grey-haired teenager wearing a red vest, white shirt, grey leggings, and aviator goggles, shouted at Ash. "I thought for sure you wouldn't last, but you proved me wrong!"

"Thanks," Ash shouted back through gritted teeth. The pokéraised boy was wet, disheveled, and his exposed skin was red from the cold. Pidgeot was still going strong, but her form wasn't as crisp as it had been at the start of the race. Meanwhile the other rider looked spotless and their pidgeot made keeping pace look absolutely effortless.

"What's your name? I'm Jared!"

"It's Aaron," Ash replied in a surly tone.

"Is this your first race?" The other rider shouted as he pulled slightly ahead and they plunged back into the tunnel.

"Yes!" Ash growled as Pidgeot lurched around a stalactite, throwing him against the straps of the flying gear.

_Why didn't Zapados smite me before I agreed to do this! _Pikachu cried out as he too was squeezed against the straps.

"You're doing great then!" The other rider shouted. "How old are you?"

"Twelve!"

"Ah," the other rider replied, sounding vaguely disappointed. "Well, kid, keep it up and you'll be a shoe-in in a few years. Watch, by the time you're fifteen like me you'll win this thing, just like I'm about to!"

At some unseen signal from its rider, the other pidgeot zoomed forwards, kicking up more ice-water spray in its wake. Ash wiped his face, grit his teeth, and renewed his grip on Pidgeot.

_Go as fast as you can without crashing, Pidgeot! _Ash cried out.

_Oh no, _Pikachu moaned.

* * *

Pidgeot crowed in acknowledgement and barreled down the tunnel. Lanterns were sparser there. Pidgeot zoomed between pools of illumination in the blue-grey tinged darkness of the tunnel as the river rushed and crashed beneath them.

Instead of stalactites and stalagmites the river had dug a chaotic zig-zagging path full of twists and turns. Pidgeot banked, rolled, and dove through them, struggling not to crash into the cave walls. More than once she flew too close and cut Ash against protruding rocks. Each time Ash hissed in pain and clamped down on the gash until he was forced to grip Pidgeot again.

Light- sunlight- flared in their eyes as they darted around another turn. Pokmeon and rider both squinted as they blasted out of the caves like a bat out of hell. A checkpoint stood at the bank of the river, before another stretch of grassland, with another checkpoint and a forest beyond that. Ash could see Misty, Jared, and the gyarados already racing towards the forest.

_Are we going to let her beat us? _Ash hollered.

_ I don't intend to! _Pidgeot cried back. Unbound by rocky walls she resumed her full speed. Wind washed the icy water off of Ash and settled a chill into his exposed flesh. There was a jolt as Pidgeot bounded off the ground at the checkpoint. Pikachu yelped in dismay.

_How much longer? _The electric pokémon whined, his voice a museum display of utter misery.

_We're about halfway, _Ash answered.

_Oh no… _Pikachu moaned again.

* * *

They reduced Misty's lead by three quarters by the time they managed to enter the forest, but Jared and the gyarados had increased their own leads. At the same time, the other racers who had made it out of the cave and were gaining rapidly once Pidgeot was slowed down by the forest.

In the forest they were following a wide dirt road through what seemed to be a tunnel of trunks and an irregular ceiling of snow-covered branches. Pidgeot was forced to fly low, too low, in order to avoid them, losing speed once again.

Misty and Starmie retained a small lead, but Ash and Pidgeot were able to keep pace with her as she and her pokémon slid on a trail of ice. Behind them the other racers were catching up. In an impressive display of control and agility, the fearows and some of the other flying pokémon were weaving through the branches. Meanwhile the running, sliding, and slithering pokémon were unimpeded by the terrain.

_We're going to need to risk going higher, _Ash told his mount.

_You're going to be eating branches, _Pidgeot warned.

_If I eat branches now, then I can eat free lunch later!_

_Idiots are always thinking with something other than their brains, _Pikachu growled.

_If you think it's worth it, _Pidgeot sighed and climbed. Ash tucked his chin into Pidgeot's feathers as twigs beat at his head and hair. They were able to start gaining on Misty again. She looked back and glared at them.

"Don't think this is anywhere near over!" She called out to Ash. "From what I've heard, the real race only begins once we reach the mountain!"

_Oh no, _Pikachu moaned once more.

* * *

The forested section was almost boring compared to the caves. There were no sudden turns, no icy waters, no spikes of stone above and below. But with the constant twiggy assault and Pidgeot's reduced speed, Ash found it to be the most miserable section.

Near the end of the section, after the sharpest turn the road split in two, with checkpoints visible down each branch. There was only a split second to choose. Ash went down one fork; Misty went down the other.

According to what Ash had been told about the course, both routes would lead to the base of the mountain and the final set of checkpoints. After that each rider was free to ascend the mountain in whatever way they wanted, though Pidgeot would still have to mind height restrictions.

It was just after the fork that the other racers finally quit holding back. A small stampede of ground-bound pokémon and some of the remaining fliers began to overtake Ash as he neared the final checkpoint that marked the end of the forest and the start of the mountain.

Once again Ash found himself jockeying for position as Pidgeot matched pace with the other racers. Everyone was fighting to get to the head of the pack. More than one racer was pushed into the trees and forced to eat a face full of bark.

Ash's teeth ground together as Pidgeot was forced to drop back to avoid being burned by the flames of rapidash that had run beneath them. He resisted the urge to have Pidgeot go faster; they needed to save their energy for the final stretch of the race, where the terrain would be in Pidgeot's favor again.

They filtered further and further towards the end of the pack, before the forest ended at the final checkpoint of that section. Flattening her wings to her side, Pidgeot managed to slip between a pair of tauroses to touch ground beneath the banner and then leapt back into the sky.

All the racers scattered, everyone taking their own route up the mountain, to where the flag waited at the peak. Ash looked over to where the other path came out of the forest and saw the racers there were doing the same thing, with the other pidgeot and gyarados in the lead, chased by a pack of racers, with Misty leading said pack.

Ash clenched his fist and grinned, turning back to Pidgeot.

_ Go Pidgeot! Give it everything you got!_

_Let's do this! _Pidgeot accelerated and the final stretch began!

* * *

It looked like another rock, white snow topping a brown-grey lump, resting at the top of a rocky incline next to a ridge.

If it hadn't been covered by snow, then the race officials would have caught it on their sweep. If the racers had been able to peer closer, they might have seen it breathing. If the pokémon mounts had been given the time, they might have been able to smell it or hear it.

But in the end, they all missed seeing it for what it was until it was too late, until a tauros accidently stomped on it.

* * *

Starmie swished and swerved on their path of ice, boosted by jets of water blasting from backwards facing prongs, weaving through the competition to stay at the head of the pack. Misty ducked under a large pokémon and helped Starmie steer by throwing her weight from side to side.

Misty had no idea where Aaron was at the moment, but the former gym trainer was confident that he was probably only a little further from the flag than she was. Misty had no plans to ever tell him, but she had found his persistence in evolving Pidgeot a little impressive. She had to admit that he had come a **little** way from the trainer she had met in the Viridian Forest.

Of course, Misty still intended to beat him.

The orange haired girl and her pokémon blitzed under a rhyhorn, the rock type nearly slipping on the ice trail, and then broke free from the pack. As graceful as a figure skater she and Starmie slipped up the mountain, their course threading around obstacles as they climbed.

Then there was a loud noise from above her, a pokémon roaring in rage and pain. Misty turned to look as more noises followed, the sound of blows, of creaking and cracking rocks, and the sounds of a person and pokémon shouting in pain and fear.

There was a rumbling and Misty's breath caught in her throat. A wave of rocks, ice, and snow was tumbling down an incline as a grey ball of fur with glove like hands rampaged down the mountain, chasing after a tauros and its rider.

Misty traced the path of the avalanche and saw that it was heading for the group of racers behind her. Thoughts of victory abandoned she steered Starmie around and began heading back down the mountain.

"Avalanche!" She shouted, hoping to warn them. "Avalanche!" But her voice must have been lost to the noises of the race and the fight, because none of the group reacted.

Starmie shot down the mountain and reached the other racers just before the rocks did. At the last second the racers caught sight of the slide and tried to stop, but their own speed betrayed them. Some were able to turn, but many stumbled.

"Starmie, Ice Dome!" Misty shouted. "As big as you can! Protect everyone!"

Blue white light shot from Starmie's prongs. Ice creaked, cracked, and roared as the dome grew into existence in front of the riders.

Rock slammed into it. Spidery cracks spread. The entire thing shook even as Starmie reinforced it with more Ice Beams. And then the rest of the avalanche arrived and everything went dark.

* * *

Pidgeot soared over the mountain as ponytas and tauros' bounded up rocks. Ash had thought that the pack would split up once they reached the mountain, but it looked like the forest exit had been by one of the best paths up the mountain.

At least for the ground bound pokémon. Ash thought he saw a straight shot up the mountain. He pointed Pidgeot to the path and the flying type performed a banked turn towards it. Her wingtips brushed over jagged rock formations as she followed the slope of the mountain towards the peak.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw a pair of rapidashes blaze forward like earthbound comets, leaving trails of melted snow as they ascended faster than Pidgeot. They bounced from surface to surface, steam hissing and light flashing as they sped away from the pack and towards victory.

It was that sight that convinced Ash that he probably wasn't going to win the race, even if he somehow managed to beat the other pidgeot rider. Previously he had always known that his victory was improbable, but he had thought that there was a small chance. Not after seeing those rapidashes.

Still, he resolved to at least beat Misty!

Pidgeot soared higher and Ash looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl. Instead he saw something moving down the mountain, a tide of white washing down the slopes.

An avalanche!

_Pidgeot, we need to make a detour! _Ash shouted, pointing at the wave of snow. _Someone might get hurt! _

_On it! _Pidgeot rolled and snapped to the side, swooping towards the avalanche. She drew close just in time for Ash to see a speck of orange on purple race between a group of racers and the avalanche.

"Misty!" Ash shouted in horror.

The tumbling rocks and the billowing wave of snow reached the girl right as there was a flash of blue-white light. The wave crashed into something, washing around it, burying it as the slide of snow and rock continued down the mountain.

_Go faster! _Pikachu shouted. _We've got to go help! _

With a shriek Pidgeot pumped her wings and she cut through the air towards where they had last seen Misty. Barely bothering to slow down for the landing, the three of them reached the spot in a spray of snow.

Ash ripped at the straps of the riding harness, almost becoming tangled in them until he forced himself to focus on getting free. He then jumped down, shoving his hands into the snow and digging.

_Should I melt it? _Pikachu asked. _No, urgh, that might cause another avalanche._

_I don't know, my parents never let me up high in the winter! _Ash quit digging, taking a moment to catch his breath, looking around frantically. _What to…. Pidgeot! I need a gentle but constant Gust right here! _

_What- Oh, I see what you're doing, _Pikachu said, scurrying out of the way.

_On it! _Pidgeot took wing once more, hovering over the area and gave a slow flap of her wings. A column of spinning air appeared before her. Strands of wind swept at the snow, clearing it away and carrying it up into the column. Glittering streams of snow were hurled away from the top of the gentle wind storm as it dug deeper and deeper.

Ash watched with bated breath until a patch of ice was revealed.

_Keep at it! _He told Pidgeot. _We're almost there! _

Slowly, too slowly, Pidgeot cleared away the snow and revealed the top of an icy dome. Spidery cracks ran throughout the ice and it seemed stained with snow. Ash ran over towards the center, trying to get a better look.

He flinched back when the top creaked and then shattered, bits of ice flying. Misty and Starmie emerged from their icy shell, disheveled and covered in snow and bruises. The gym trainer looked around, tense, panting, and worried, but relaxed when she saw Ash.

"Thanks," she said, deflating and slumping against Starmie. "I thought I was in trouble there."

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, rushing over to check on her.

"I'll be fine once we get back to the ranch," Misty said, letting her head lean against her pokémon. "It's the other racers. Part of the shield failed and they got hit."

"Did you?"

"No," Misty said, closing her eyes and catching her breath.

"We'll need to-" A screech rang out behind Ash. He whipped around to look at the source. Something barreled past him, knocking him flying. There was the sound of flesh striking flesh and Pikachu let out a cry of pain.

Ash's vision was a confusing mess of spinning white and bright as he tumbled through the snow. He slid to a stop, gut aching, head spinning. He pushed himself up and looked where he had been.

A grey furred pokémon with glove like hands, a primeape, was attacking Misty, Starmie, and Pidgeot. Misty was behind another quickly splintering ice half dome as the fighting type pounded at the barrier. Pidgeot came in from behind, wings extended, beak ready to strike. The primeape simply backhanded her without looking and continued its assault.

Ash's head swiveled as he tried to figure out where Pikachu was. He caught sight of the electric type feebly getting up further down the slope. Reassured that Pikachu was in no immediate danger, Ash rushed over to the fight.

"Pidgeot, to me!" Ash shouted. He wished that he had brought his other pokémon, but it had been against the rules, which stated that he could only bring pokémon if they weren't in their pokéballs.

Pidgeot shook her head and then jumped over to Ash. _What's the plan? _She asked.

"Don't get close!" Ash shouted, pointing at the primeape. "Use Wind Slice!"

Pidgeot nodded and flapped her wings forward. Two invisible blades of wind cut across the surface of the snow and into the primeape's back. Fur went flying and two shallow cuts appeared on the things' back.

With an incoherent bellow of rage, the primeape abandoned its assault on Misty's defenses and charged at them instead.

"Fly!" Ash shouted, jumping on Pidgeot's back and wrapping his arms around her neck, hanging on for dear life.

Pidgeot leapt into the air, the primeape's attack ruffling her tail feathers. The fighting-type skidded to a stop, leaving a furrow in the snow, a berserk glare trained on Ash and Pidgeot.

A pressurized jet of water nailed it in the back, knocking it head over heels. Ash looked and saw that Misty was back on Starmie and out from their dome. In a flurry of limbs and snow, the fighting type blitzed Misty and her pokémon, only to be caught by another blast of wind from Pidgeot.

Ash and Misty locked gazes. They nodded at each other and then their attention turned back to the primeape.

The two trainers and their pokémon began to circle their attacker. If their pokémon had been fresh then either of the two could have beaten the enraged primeape on their own. But both pairs were exhausted from the race, while the primeape was fresh and strengthened by its Rage.

Not only that, but the fighting type couldn't be allowed to rampage where the other racers were trapped. It could collapse the dome keeping them all safe and could start another avalanche.

When primeape moved to attack one of the two, the other struck. Wind, water, and ice battered at the furious pokémon from all angles as it chased after Starmie sliding over a trail of shining ice and the wind-borne Pidgeot. Howls of frustration echoed through the mountain as its blow met nothing but empty air again and again and again.

Maybe that would have been enough to defeat it if Ash and Misty's pokémon were just a bit less tired. But Pidgeot flagged at a crucial moment, a single flap of her wings taking too long. The primeape was on her with a barrage of blows. She was sent tumbling through the air, Ash slipping off and toppling to the snow below.

A shadow fell over him as he pushed himself out of the snow again and he flinched back. But it was Misty and Starmie sliding between him and the fighting type. Starmie let out a cry of exertion as another ice half-dome sprang into existence from an Ice Beam.

"Get Pidgeot and go get help!" Misty shouted as she crouched behind Starmie. "I'll distract it!"

Ash almost argued, but then scrambled down the mountain. Ice creaked and cracked behind him and the primeape roared. Ash fought through the snow, looking for a patch of yellow…..

_Owwwwww, _Ash heard a whine and saw Pikachu standing up and clutching at his head. _That really hurt. _

_Pikachu! _Ash cried out, pushing through the snow. _Are you alright? _

_I'm dizzy and I feel sick, _Pikachu admitted as Ash gently picked him up.

_Do you think you can manage a Thunder Wave? _Ash asked, trudging through the snow, back towards the battle.

_ Not a fast one, _Pikachu said, snuggling into Ash's arms. _It'll take some time. I'm guessing you're going to aim me like you did Metapod? _

_ If it ain't broke, don't fix it, _Ash replied, flashing Pikachu a quick smile, before focusing back on the fight.

The primeape was chasing after Misty and Starmie, who stayed only inches ahead of it. Misty and her pokémon threaded a winding, curving, swirling, looping path, their trail of ice overlapping on itself so often that it was becoming a rink. But the fighting type wasn't letting up, its fists barely missing Misty and Starmie again and again, sending up bursts of snow and chips of ice.

Pidgeot was drunkenly fluttering back to the site of the battle. Ash looked down at Pikachu and then whispered, _Get that Thunder Wave ready, but don't release it yet_. He then looked back up.

"Misty, get some distance!" Ash shouted. "Pidgeot, capture that primeape with a Gust when she does!"

"Why do you never- Fine!" Misty growled, before turning to glance back at the attacking pokémon. She waited, continuing to swerve and dodge the hail of blows from the pursuing primeape, until the fighting type overextended by a hair's breadth with a vicious two-handed overhead blow. "Hydro Boost!"

Starmie's prongs bent back as Misty curled up in a ball right in the center of its back. High pressure streams of water blasted out of every prong. The two of them streaked away from the primeape like a watery comet.

Pidgeot struck then. With a mighty flap of her wings she called forth a windstorm and the primeape sucked up into it. It roared and thrashed in its prison of spinning air, but had no leverage with which to escape. Pidgeot then collapsed into the snow.

"Now Pikachu! Thunder Wave!" Ash shouted, pointing Pikachu at the trapped pokémon.

_Payback time! _Pikachu shouted. Rings of buzzing electricity flew from him and earthed themselves in the fighting type. Sparks covered it as its limbs locked up and body stiffened. Pidgeot's Gust faded and the primeape fell to the mountainside like a top that had been spun over the edge of a table.

Ash grabbed an empty pokéball and hurled it at the primeape before it could escape Pikachu's paralysis. Red light bloomed as it was drawn into the ball. The sphere fell to the snow, glowing red and rocking, snow hissing and steaming from the heat.

After rocking four times, the pokéball stilled and the glow faded. Ash cheered and pumped his fist in triumph, clutching Pikachu tight with the other arm. He rushed over to retrieve the ball, sliding it into his pocket, before going over to check on Pidgeot.

She was lying face first in the snow, wings splayed out, and she was panting. She looked up when Ash approached.

_I'm done, _she said in a tired voice. _No more flying today. _

_ I guessed as much, _Ash said, kneeling down to look her over. _Do you want to get in your pokéball now? _

_ Yes please. _

Ash recalled her and then went off to look for Misty. He followed the trail of ice and water. They were a little way off, Misty splayed on her back next to Starmie, both of them staring at the sky and panting with exhaustion.

"You got it I hope?" Misty asked without turning her head. "Because Starmie's out of juice and so am I."

"Yeah, I caught it," Ash said. "I'll find a spot to release it when it's ready to come out."

"Maybe someone at the ranch is authorized to carry pokéball locks," Misty suggested, still not moving. "But that seems like a 'later' problem to me."

"You're probably right," Ash said, sitting down in the snow next to her. The adrenaline from the race and then the fight was fading and he suddenly felt bone-tired. He lay back in the snow and stared up at the blue sky too. "How long until the race people know something's wrong."

"I don't know," Misty groaned and then sighed. "Let me give Brock a call…"

* * *

It turned out that Brock, the other volunteers, and the race officials were already on their way and arrived only a couple minutes later. Brock rode in on Onix, his shadow falling over the prone people and pokémon in the snow.

"Hi Brock," Ash said, not bothering to get up.

"You're in the way," Misty groaned.

"Oh, am I Brocking your light?" Brock asked with a smirk.

"That pun signed your death warrant," Misty groaned again.

"Speaking of death, why am I not surprised to find you two in the thick of things?" Brock asked, sliding off Onix and hooking his thumbs in his belt.

"That's not fair," Ash protested. "I saw Misty get hit with an avalanche and I had to help."

"How'd you get hit with an avalanche?" Brock asked, turning to the orange haired girl. "I thought you'd have picked up on how to avoid one from Lorelei?"

"I saw it heading for a bunch of racers who didn't see it coming," Misty answered. "You're getting them out of the snow, right?"

"We probably should have checked on them," Ash moaned, forcing himself to his feet. "The primeape didn't get in there, did it?"

"the primeape?" Brock shook his head slowly. "Of course it couldn't be simple….."

* * *

Brock and the other new arrivals were able to get everyone out of Misty's dome safely. None of the trapped racers were in critical condition and were ready to be moved immediately. They also found a battered rider and their tauros, the ones who had initially set off the primeape's rampage when they had accidently stomped on it. They began to ferry everyone back to the ranch over the course of several trips.

When they got back, Ash and Misty didn't bother eating or changing into their sleepwear. They forced themselves through the ordeal of treating and feeding their pokémon, Ash got a pokéball lock for the primeape, and then they collapsed on the floor of the ger, too tired to get in their cots.

Brock sighed when he was greeted by the sight after he got back to the ger. He took off their shoes, put them on their cots, and then tucked them in.

(Some habits die hard.)

* * *

The award ceremony was the next day, to be followed by a party. Ash figured that dealing with releasing the primeape could wait until tomorrow. He wanted to rest, eat, and listen to music.

Jared, the other Pidgeot rider, had come in first place. One of the rapidash riders had come in second, followed by the gyarados and its rider. They all stood on a raised platform, their pokémon standing behind them, as the gathered crowd chatted and cheered.

Lara had been chosen to do the speeches again and to hand out the awards.

The third-place winner received a plaque and was told that they would later receive a custom-made saddle for their gyarados. The second-place winner won some armor, forged in the tradition of the nomadic tribes, for them and their rapidash, along with a badge (Ash wondered if it ever got confused for a gym badge). Lara gave the first-place winner a hug to welcome him into the clan, a hand-woven standard with the Laramie emblem on the banner, and a golden medal.

Ash, Brock, and Misty clapped along with everyone else. Ash and Misty shared a look of mild regret, before smiling and looking back at the winners. In the end they had given it their all and sometimes that was enough.

Once the applause for the winners had started to die down, Lara raised her hands, calling for quiet.

"I hope y'all don't have anywhere to be in a hurry, 'cause I got a few more things ta say!" The blue haired woman announced once everyone had quieted. "I think y'all remember the unfortunate incident that happened on the mountain. It turns out that our sweepers missed a wild pokémon on the mountain and it caused an avalanche."

Ash and Misty grimaced at the memory.

"Luckily," Lara continued, her eyes searching through the crowd "no one was seriously hurt due ta the actions of two special trainers, who dropped out of the runnin' to save their fellow racers. These fine fellows managed ta not only shelter a group of racers from the avalanche, but they also subdued the pokémon responsible."

Her eyes met Ash and Misty's and they both flushed. "It's for that reason that I would like ta call Aaron and Misty to the stage now! Come on up now y'all!" Lara pointed at them and the crowd parted. A grinning Brock gave them both a shove on the shoulders and scarlet faced, the two of them made their way to the stage. Lara and the crowd helped them up.

"Let's get a round of applause for these two great young trainers!" Lara shouted, grabbing a wrist from Ash and Misty and raising their hands into the air. The two looked away from the crowd, still furiously blushing, as a new chorus of cheers and applause rang out.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading (Go check out their stuff, it's great).

I'd like to thank everyone for leaving a review/comment! They really mean a lot!

So anyway, this little arc had three purposes. Worldbuilding, character focus for Pidgeot, and giving Ash and Misty time to bond by letting them be little shits that they are. (And to establish that they are both _competitive_ little shits).

I can be fairly predictable at times, so I don't think don't think that it's much of a spoiler to say that the next little arc will include some time for Ash and Brock to bond.

Don't forget to review/comment!


	42. Chapter 42

Giovanni had the best chairs, Sabrina reflected as she waited for him to return. She was sitting in his fancy and nicely furnished office, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Here are the reports," Giovanni, the leader of the Viridian City Gym said, opening and then closing the door behind him. He handed Sabrina another stack of papers and she sighed. Giovanni raised a single eyebrow at the reaction.

"I'm sorry," Sabrina gently massaged her forehead. "I know I explicitly asked for this, but it seems like my life has been nothing but meetings and reports lately."

"Yes, those are major components of an investigation," Giovanni replied blandly, taking a seat behind his desk. He was calm as always; Sabrina recalled several incidents where some gym brats teased him or played a prank on him, trying to get him to show more of a reaction than a gentle smirk. They had never succeeded.

And, as usual, his mental defenses were in top form. Sabrina wasn't sure she could break them if she had a full day to work at it.

People with the proper training usually had their defenses up whenever she was around. It was understandable, most people valued the privacy of their own head and they didn't need a telepath rooting around, or picking up on their 'loud' thoughts. Giovanni's shields were unusually strong, but it was just what Sabrina expected from one of the senior gym leaders.

"This is everything the police were able to gather about Team Rocket's operations in the Viridian Forest?" Sabrina asked as she telekinetically levitated the papers and leafed through them.

"This is everything the Viridian Police Department was able to gather," Giovanni said. "If you recall, the incident was originally reported to the Pewter Police Department. There was some conflict between the two departments regarding jurisdiction."

"Your city's police department is so very territorial," Sabrina noted as she slipped the reports into her bag. "They're always trying to push other departments out of investigations. I'm surprised that you haven't done anything about that. You're usually very proactive when it comes to ensuring that operations proceed as smoothly as possible"

"I don't believe it's my place to interfere in this matter," Giovanni calmly stated, steepling his hands and leaning back in his chair. "It's up to the civil authorities to manage the police department. If City Hall were to ask for my assistance in improving the operation of the VPD I would gladly assist, but until then it's best if I stay out of the matter."

"Fair enough," Sabrina said and then sighed. "But now I'm going to have to go to Pewter City to get the reports from their police department and piece them together."

"I'm sure the instant it takes for you to teleport from here to there will be very tedious," Giovanni said without changing his expression. Many gym trainers and a few leaders had mentioned that they were glad that he hadn't shown up to any gym pokér tournaments.

"Ha, ha, ha," Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have to deal with some more bureaucracy and I'm going to have to talk to **Flint**."

"I trust that you can remain professional when dealing with him?" Giovanni asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I doubt it," Sabrina growled. "Not after the things he did. Do you think you could?"

"I can and I have," Giovanni said in a cool monotone that bordered on icy. "I can put aside personal grudges-"

"Personal grudges? That's what you're calling what he did to us and Brock?" Sabrina glared at the other gym leader. "I know that almost all the other gym leaders in Kanto are torn between wanting to thrash him within an inch of his life and wanting to give him a hug."

"I suspect you'll thrash him before embracing him?" Giovanni raised a single eyebrow again. "I found his conduct to be unprofessional and unfitting of his position, but as long as he can properly coordinate his gym with mine, I see no reason to publicly censure him."

"Sometimes I swear, you have ice-water running through your veins," Sabrina sighed.

"Oh, make no mistake, I'll never invite him over for a drink again, or engage in any social activity beyond exchanging pleasantries," Giovanni went on. "I was there when Brock first took over Pewter's gym. I had to aid him several times. I'm fully aware of the burden Flint dumped on the boy's shoulders so that he could go selfishly wallow in his own grief and misery."

"Sorry," Sabrina said. "That was insensitive of me."

"Don't worry about it," Giovanni smirked. "I'm aware of how I can come off. Is there anything else you need?"

"Actually, if you've got any sources of information that might know something about Team Rocket, it would be nice if you could pass their news on."

"I really don't have a reliable source of intelligence on Team Rocket's activities, but I'll keep my ear to the ground," Giovanni promised. "You have my word on that."

* * *

_I'm sorry, could you repeat that? _

_I said, I'm good, _Primeape repeated.

_ So, you don't want to be released? _Ash looked over at Pikachu. The electric type seemed just as confused as his trainer.

_Uh, did you try and challenge one of the racers and lose control or something? _Pikachu asked.

_'Cause it seemed like you went berserk because you got stepped on by a tauros, _Ash added.

It had been a day since they had left the ranch and Ash had found a spot to take off the pokéball lock and release the primeape, a snow dusted field of tall grass. Brock and Misty were waiting some distance away. He had expected the primeape to either need an explanation as to what had happened, to run off, or to attack him again in a berserk fury.

He wasn't expecting Primeape to be fine with his current situation.

_Nah. I was right angry then, _Primeape replied, scratching the top of his head. _Lost my head. And I got caught 'cause of it. But them's the breaks._

_ You shouldn't stay if you don't want to, _Ash told the fighting-type, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. _No good will come of it. _

_ It's not it exactly, _Primeape said. _It's just, I feel sorta bad about that human and that tauros. It's not like they stepped on me on purpose or anything. _

_ And that led to you wanting to join the team because….? _Pikachu raised an eyebrow.

_Well, I need to learn some self-control at least, _Primeape explained. _What better way to do it than on a trainer's team? It's the least I can do. _

_ Well, if you want to stay on my team, I won't say no, _Ash replied, standing back up. _Anything I should know about you before you join? _

_ I've got a bit of a temper, when I was a mankey I liked to steal burgers, and I sometimes get lost easily, _Primeape offered his glove-like hand out to Ash.

_ Welcome aboard, _Ash said, shaking the hand.

_Also, is it just me or is there something off about this conversation? _Primeape asked after the handshake, scratching the top of his head. _I just can't quite place it…._

_ No idea, _Ash said, smirking and giving Pikachu a side-long glance.

_Please I beg you, quit pulling this joke on every pokémon you meet, _Pikachu groaned, slapping a forepaw to his face.

_What joke? _Primeape looked at them both, while still scratching their head. _Do you know what's weird? _

_ No, no, no, _Ash waved away Primeapes concerns with one hand, the other covering his smile as his shoulders gently shook.

_What's going on? Are you okay? _

_ I'm fine, _Ash said, unable to hold back the laughter any longer.

_You're weird, _Primeape said, giving him a concerned look.

_This ain't the half of it, _Pikachu sighed.

* * *

Sabrina scowled and tapped her foot as she stood in the office of the Pewter City gym leader.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Flint suggested while he rummaged through the piles of papers on his desk.

"I'm fine," Sabrina said flatly. Her expression appeared stoic, but every now and then it would twitch into a glare.

Flint didn't respond. He continued to search for the police reports that Sabrina had asked for. Time wore on, marked by the tapping of the Saffron gym leader's foot and the growing glare on her face.

"I'm sorry," Flint apologized as he continued to search. "I know that I've compiled the reports-"

"But you've been busy with taking back over the gym?" Sabrina's tone was cold enough to qualify as an ice-type attack.

"Yes," Flint said, pausing in the manner of someone who lived on a fault line who had just felt the ground twitch.

"Oh, I know how difficult it is to suddenly take charge of a gym," Sabrina continued. "After all, I was there when Brock had to do it."

The other gym leader flinched at her comment.

"I'm told he worked day and night to keep the gym running and to **parent **his siblings," Sabrina went on in the same tone. "The poor boy was absolutely exhausted whenever I saw him during that first year. And the second year, come to think of it."

Flint had quit searching for the papers now, standing absolutely still with his back turned to Sabrina.

"We always tried to convince him to stay for the conferences, but he could never make time," Sabrina leaned against a wall, apparently calm, but her fists were clenched tight enough for her nails to dig into her palm. "He simply couldn't stand to leave his siblings with a babysitter for too long. He always said that they needed someone who could make their lunches properly and help them with their homework. He was also so…. attentive. Always making sure to be there for them."

Flint still didn't offer any resistance.

"It must have been so hard, being a single parent for so many children, being pretty much a kid himself, and while running a gym. I can't imagine who could have thought that putting him in that situation was a good-"

"You don't need to tell me that what I did was wrong," Flint interrupted her, still staring down at the desk. "I'm well aware that I'm a piece of shit and that I did horrible things to Brock."

"Not just to Brock!" Sabrina shouted, standing close behind him, her fists clenched at her sides. "We didn't even know you were still alive until Brock told us about your letter!"

"I didn't think it would matter," Flint said, still not turning around.

"You didn't- You damned fool! Of course, it mattered!" Sabrina seethed, clamping down on her power to keep it from lashing out. "You were our friend! Our fellow gym leader, our comrade! We were worried about you even before Lola died!"

"You were?"

Sabrina held back from channeling her emotions directly into the other gym leader's mind. He didn't have any defenses up, which is how she could tell that he was honestly puzzled by her last statement.

"Yes! You were letting your insecurities eat you alive!" Sabrina told him. "And then you went on that training trip to be alone with them! What were we supposed to think?"

"I- I guess I didn't see why you should care," Sabrina noticed that Flint's fingers were clutching the edge of the desk tight enough that they started to turn pale. "I was a subpar gym leader. I figured that if I couldn't get better then you all would be glad to see the back of me."

"Flint," Sabrina said in a calm tone that was completely at odds with the turmoil raging within her. "You need to see a therapist. Or at least have a talk with Erika."

"I didn't- I don't want to waste her time," Flint said, finally turning around. He still didn't meet Sabrina's gaze and instead stared at the ground between them. "And now I don't have time myself-"

"Then make some damn time," Sabrina growled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We might all be mad at you-"

"That's true. You're not the first person to yell at me," Flint said, perking up for an instant.

"-but none of us want to see you suffer like this," Sabrina went on, ignoring him. "And we don't want you to make another mistake like you did with Brock."

"I deserve this though," Flint's voice was quiet. "After what I did, I don't deserve help."

"That's not how it works, you damned idiot!" Sabrina's control slipped and a wall cracked, making both gym leader's flinch. They both stared at the damage for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Sabrina said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, just stand still for a second."

"Why-" Flint began, but was interrupted by Sabrina pulling him into a hug.

"You are a fucking fool, but you are our friend," Sabrina told him. "You need to get some help so that you can get better, for everyone's sake. Do I make myself clear?"

"I'll try," Flint replied, returning the hug.

"No, just do it," Sabrina told him. "You at least owe your children that much."

* * *

Misty let herself slump in her seat and groaned.

Aaron, after somehow getting the primeape to join his team, had decided to continue his journey to Fuchsia City by cutting across the peninsula and approaching it from the other coast. Misty, while overjoyed with that decision, had been less happy to learn that they would be stopping by another pokémon center first. She had no excuse not to give her sisters a call.

(She was not looking forward to seeing their ego inflate)

Misty shook her head and decided to just bite the bullet. She dialed up the Cerulean City Gym and tried to look less like she was being forced to shovel manure.

"Misty!" Daisy exclaimed over the video call, giving her youngest sister a brilliant smile. "What's the occasion?"

"Hi Daisy," Misty said sheepishly, giving her a little wave. "Just staying at a pokémon center for the night and thought that I should give you girls a call."

"Oh, Lily and Violet are out. They're going to be sorry that they missed you."

"That's too bad," Misty said, while internally thanking Cresselia for the reprieve. "Well, anyway, I met one of your fans."

Misty proceeded to tell Daisy about Lara and then filled her eldest sister in on the other events that had happened since last time they talked. Daisy seemed excited by the prospect of an out of town fan and promised to send Lara an autograph.

Daisy then began to fill Misty in on the news from the gym and about the new show that the Sensational Sisters were all excited about. Misty tried to seem attentive even though she had no interest in said show.

"Lily's playing the knight role again," Daisy said as she got into the details of the show. "Not that it's a surprise, you know how she gets."

"Yeah, she does love that type of role," Misty said, forcing a smile on her face.

"Ah, one day, after we've left the gym, I hope she finds a nice pretty guy to rescue and sweep off his feet," Daisy sighed. "Like, let her live out those knight fantasies in real life, you know?"

Misty's forced smile briefly turned into a grimace. She was never sure how to take her sister's talk of the future. She could never tell if they were actually hoping that she'd take over or if they were thinking of handing the gym over to someone else.

"I guess she'll know how to act the part at least," Misty eventually replied with a shrug.

"Knowing how to act the part is key to a lot of things in life, Misty," Daisy chided. "Like, fake it 'til you make it and all that. Everyone needs to act a part from time to time."

"Oh, please," Misty rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious," Daisy's eyes narrowed. "Doctors, politicians, lawyers, gym leaders, everyone does it at some point. I'm pretty good at telling when someone's putting on an act, even when I can't tell what's going on under it. I even noticed that your friend Aaron does it occasionally."

"What?" Misty didn't believe that for a second…. Did she? The boy just seemed too earnest to be putting on an act.

"Oh, it's not like you're thinking," Daisy said, waving away Misty's apparent concerns. "Like, some people just need to make a script to get through certain situations. I'm pretty sure Aaron's one of those people."

"Well, that's not really putting on an act then," Misty argued.

"It is," Daisy insisted. "Like, acting is just about pretending to be someone who can do things you don't think you can do. He was pretending to be a person who could deal with that social stuff."

"That doesn't make sense- You know, you're wrong but I don't feel like having an argument right now," Misty sighed, massaging the sides of her eyes.

"You're making a bigger deal out of this than it is," Daisy said, rolling her eyes. "As I said, everyone puts on an act from time to time. It's the people who are always putting on an act that you should be worried about."

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.

Short chapter this week, another between arcs chapter. Tying up a few loose ends and setting a few things up.

I will not be releasing another chapter next week as I need to build up my buffer again. The heat wave has reduced my daily writing speed or at least that's my current excuse. So expect the next chapter to be released on 9/30.

Don't forget to review!


	43. Chapter 43

The sun shone brightly, glittering on the waters beside the southern coast of Kanto, the ocean over looked by grass topped cliffs that went on for miles. Water crashed and thundered against the sheer rock of the cliff face below and ocean-going flying types cried out from above. Salt wafted through the air, carried by the sea breezes, and though it was mid-winter there was no snow to be stirred. The day was chilly and damp, but even then, it was nowhere near as cold as the northern parts of Kanto.

Ash and his team were taking a break from training, sitting by the edge of the cliff and watching the ocean. Most of the team was dirtied and bruised, except for a sheepish looking Butterfree, who sat a few feet away from everyone else.

_So…. _Primeape broke the silence. _Is what happened normal? _

_ No! _Butterfree shook his head. _I have no idea where that came from! _

_ Wherever it came from, can you stuff it back in there until we're in an actual battle? _Pikachu asked, gingerly poking his face.

_Yeah, that was definitely overboard for a training session, _Squirtle said, rubbing some dirt off of his shell.

_But if you could do that in an actual battle…. _Bulbasaur mused, rubbing the underside of his chin with a vine.

_An actual battle with none of us around you, _Pidgeot leaned in to add.

_Was it a new trick you were working on? _Charmander asked.

_I didn't recognize whatever it was, _Ash said, looking over at the bug type. _Butterfree, are you okay? Is something bothering you?_

_ I….. I don't know, _Butterfree admitted, shuffling his feet.

_ Do you want to talk about it? _Ash offered.

_I don't know if I can, _Butterfree said. _I just felt…. Angry. I've been getting angry for no reason for a couple days. _

_ No reason? _Ash inquired.

_ I mean, it's not like I just get angry out of the blue. It's always something that makes me get angry, but they're things that shouldn't bother me, _Butterfree explained. _I don't get what's going on. _

_ Let's look in the pokédex in case you're sick, _Ash said, getting out the device. He selected the entry on butterfrees and looked at the section about common diseases and their symptoms. There were a few diseases that caused increased irritability, but they all involved physical signs that Ash couldn't find after checking Butterfree over.

_I don't think you're sick, _Ash said, looking through some of the more obscure diseases. _Maybe you're just grumpy? _He suggested with a shrug.

_But I'm never grumpy! _Butterfree protested, frantically flapping his wings.

_Maybe Bulbasaur is finally rubbing off on you, _Pikachu suggested with a shrug.

_I'm rubbing off on him? He's known you longer! _

_ But you're grumpier. _

_ That's a good question, _Squirtle said. _Who's grumpier, Bulbasaur or Pikachu? _

_ Pikachu's a violent menace, _Pidgeot added very quickly.

_ What did I get myself into? _Primeape asked, turning to Charmander.

_They're actually pretty nice, _Charmander reassured the fighting-type. _And so is Ash! _

_ Thanks, _the trainer replied, still engrossed in the pokédex. _Maybe you were poisoned? But no, then you'd be more purple… Confusion would make you dizzy… Huh. I've got no idea what's going on. _

_ Same as usual then? _Pikachu piped in.

_Shush, you. _

_It's okay, _Butterfree said. _I should get better in a few days. I'll just stay in my pokéball. _

_ No, it's not, _Ash replied. _I don't want you to get sick because I'm missing something and it's not fair for you to have to stay in the pokéball all the time. _

_ Or any of the time, _Pikachu muttered.

_Too bad Brock and Misty don't train bug-types, _Ash sighed, putting away the pokédex. _I could really use some help. _

_ Well, Brock does know a lot of stuff about non-rock types, _Pidgeot pointed out. _Like how he's always trying out grooming techniques on us. _

_ He __**is**__ always reading books about all sorts of pokémon, _Ash said. _I guess he might know something. _

_ As much as any human knows something, _Squirtle said.

* * *

"Hmmm…." Brock rubbed the underside of his chin, unknowingly mimicking Bulbasaur's earlier actions. "Increased irritability…. Have you noticed any other changes in Butterfree? Has he gotten any bigger? Have his antenna gotten a bit fuzzier?"

"Maybe," Ash shrugged.

"This could be interesting," Brock said. "Can I borrow your pokédex for a moment, Aaron?"

"Okay," Ash said, confused. He handed the device over and then shrugged again. "I already looked at all the diseases that it could possibly be."

"Oh, if I'm right, then Butterfree isn't sick," Brock informed the other boy as he scrolled through the pokédex. "Here we go…. Hey, Aaron, want to go on a detour?"

"I guess," Ash replied, still lost. "Why?"

"Because we can see something cool," Brock said, grabbing his bags. "It's not too far from here, only about half a day's walk."

"Okay," Ash said. "Hey Misty!" He called out to the water-type specialist who was watching the ocean. "Brock suggested a place! We're going on a trip!"

"Another one?" Misty shouted back. "Wasn't the ranch enough for you?"

"No!" Ash replied. "Come on!"

"You need to quit listening to Brock! You'll be wandering around Kanto for years at this rate!" Misty yelled as she grabbed her own things.

Brock led them back the way they had come and then took a detour down a bulge in the coastline that they had previously bypassed. They continued their trip over grassy cliffs next to a sparkling ocean until the winter sun was low in the sky. It was as the sky was changing colors that Ash saw a strange cloud.

"What's that?" He asked, shielding his eyes from the setting sun with one hand and pointing with the other.

"It's a sign that we've arrived," Brock said with a smile.

"And where is 'here' exactly?" Misty asked.

"Hey, Aaron, look up the information on butterfrees again," Brock instructed. "And read the part about their lifecycles and mating habits."

Ash complied. According to the pokédex, while Butterfree's evolutionary line could breed at any stage, they developed more specialized reproductive behaviors after they were fully evolved. A large portion of the species would sometimes form mating flocks and then migrate south to lay their eggs so that they would hatch during late spring in tropical climates. When the conditions were right for a butterfree to join a flock, it would experience a slight increase in size, fuzziness of the antenna, and a dramatic increase in aggression.

Ash looked back at the strange cloud, peering closely. It turned out that it wasn't a cloud at all, but rather a giant collection of flying things. The pokéraised boy put two and two together.

"Butterfree's getting ready to mate?" Ash turned to Brock. "That's what's happening?"

"Yep." Brock nodded.

"Oh….." Ash sighed. "Excuse me, I need to go have a talk with my pokémon."

* * *

_Mating! _Butterfree trilled. _Is that what's going on? _

_ According to the pokédex, Brock, and that giant cloud of butterfrees, _Pikachu said.

_But- I'm- I can't be ready to mate! I'm too young! _Buttefree protested.

_You're a fully evolved pokémon, _Pikachu pointed out. _If you're not ready to mate now, when will you be ready? _

_ But butterfrees who mate are really old, like my parents! _Butterfree said, fluttering back from Pikachu. _They were…. well, I don't know how old they were, but they were really old! _

_ Yeah, parents __**are**__ really old, _Ash said, thinking back to the pokémon who raised him.

_Butterfree, Ash's stupidity is rubbing off on you, _Pikachu groaned, face resting in the palm of his forepaw. _Everyone's parents seemed really old because you were really young when you were with them. _

_ Oh….. _Butterfree nodded in comprehension while Ash shook his head.

_No, mine were really old, _Ash said, thinking back on the three who raised him. _They were always talking about the past, something always ached, and they complained about getting old all the time._

_ Maybe yours were old or maybe putting up with you prematurely aged them, _Pikachu shrugged. _The point is, Butterfree, you don't have to be really old in order to mate. Once you're done growing, not done evolving, done growing, then you're ready to mate. _

_ Oh….. so I could have mated when I was Caterpie? _Butterfree tilted their head to the side.

_Yes, _Pikachu said, leaning his head back and rolling his eyes.

_Anyway, we've just got to decide what we're going to do now, _Ash said to Butterfree. _Do you want to wait this out or do you….. _Ash went quiet as the full implications of mating flock sank in. If Butterfree wanted to do something about it, then he'd have to leave Ash's team. The first pokémon that Ash had caught would leave him.

Ash couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He didn't want Butterfree to leave.

_Butterfree, are you looking for a long-term relationship or do you just want to mate and leave? _Pikachu asked.

_ Wait, he can do that? _Ash turned to look at Pikachu.

_I don't know if he can specifically, but I know a lot of bug-types tend to lay a bunch of eggs and then leave, _Pikachu said with a shrug. _Not all of them-_

_ My parents stuck around, _Butterfree pointed out.

-_But some of them, _Pikachu finished. _Why don't you look it up, Ash? _

Ash opened the pokédex back up and then looked up the section about butterfree reproductions and lifecycles again. There was an entry about variations in how they raised their young, ranging from collective rearing, as a flock or other large group, being the most common method, to smaller groups or pairs raising eggs together as the next most common, to short-term single parents and to simply laying large clutches and leaving them on their own as the least frequent, but still common methods.

_Oh wow, there are a bunch of ways you could do it, _Ash said, still looking at the pokédex. He then gave the two a summary of what he had read. _I guess it's up to you and your mate, _he said when he was finished.

_Huh…. _Butterfee cocked his head again. _I'm not sure what I want actually. I'd like to feel normal again, but I'm not sure about having an egg. Or letting someone else have an egg I helped create….. But it would be nice to go back to normal. Ash, does it say how long I'm like this? _

_ Uhh…. _Ash looked back at the pokédex. _It says that you can remain in heat for a month if you don't-_

_ I'd have to be like this for a month! _Butterfree almost screamed in horror. _Is this going to happen every year! _

_ No, it says that it takes special conditions to trigger this, _Ash went on. _Involving weather, geography, and specific times of year. _Ash grimaced. _I guess this is my fault for making us come down here right now. _

_ Yes, you- you- you idiot! _Butterfree shouted and then flinched back. _Oh no, I'm sorry Ash. I didn't mean to be a second Pikachu…_

_ Hey! _

_ I'm just- so tense and angry, _Butterfree went on, fluttering back and forth.

_It's okay, _Ash reassured him. _I put up with Pikachu all the time; I can put up with a second one for a bit. _

_ Hey!_

_ I just want this gone, _Butterfree whined. _I want to go back to normal! _

_ Then go mate, _Pikachu said.

_But I don't know what I want to do about the egg! _Butterfree wailed.

_This is honestly the sort of decision that should be made with a level head, _Ash observed.

_Too bad the only time this comes up is when so many creatures can't keep a level head, _Pikachu said while Butterfree flailed about.

* * *

Sabrina hovered over the concrete rooftop with her vast collection of documents and reports arrayed around her. The nighttime city shone around her, skyscrapers standing as glowing pillars. However, the one light she needed, the light by the rooftop access door, flickered and she glared at it until it started functioning again.

"I generally enjoy a rooftop rendezvous but I don't think you quite understand the point," Torch observed from where he was leaning against the side of the entryway.

"I didn't' feel like finding a space in the gym to do this," Sabrina told him, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, but it could have so fun!" Torch smirked. "You and me, in an enclosed space, our hands brushing as we reach for the same paper and then our eyes meet-"

"If I wanted to consume bad erotica today then I would have bought a dime store romance novel," Sabrina growled, massaging the sides of her temples with one hand. "Right now, I need to talk business."

"Business? That sounds like it might involve numbers. We should get Atushi up here-"

"No," Sabrina said sharply. "It's time for work, not play."

"Oh, it's always time to play," Torch grinned. "You never know when you'll end up in the underworld so you've got to grab all the fun you can."

"Right now I'm trying to keep people out of there, so if you would please focus, you salacious hedonist-"

"Can I put that on my business cards?"

"-And help me figure out what Team Rocket's up to," Sabrina finished, her right eye twitching.

"Fine, but you're no fun, you know that?" Torch sighed, moving over to get a better look at the papers.

"I'll find some way to live with that," Sabrina said. "Now, here's what I found."

She went on to fill Torch in on how the experiment in Cinnabar involved Masterball technology, though she simply referred to it as "classified technology being developed by the Sliph Corporation". She then went on to fill him in on the rest of the evidence, the list of deaths, what they knew about Team Rocket's movements involving Aoba, Team Rocket's movements in the Viridian Forest, and what happened in Pewter City.

"I mean, from what you've told me, it's pretty obvious that Team Rocket wants that technology," Torch said when she was finished.

"That's what it looks like, but a couple things don't add up," Sabrina replied. "What did they need the caterpies for? And why go after the scientist Aoba, who made no mention of the technology?"

"The Aoba thing is easy to answer; they didn't know what he knew so they decided to tie up a loose end," Torch said. "But the caterpies, yeah they don't fit, but they could be unrelated."

"That's true," Sabrina rubbed her forehead. "They could just be trying to get some cheap psychic muscle…. But whatever they're planning is big. The people they've killed, the resources they committed to trying to kill the scientist….. And they sent a trainer with a tyranitar out to gather the caterpies. They wouldn't commit that sort of pokémon if the task wasn't important in some way."

"And you don't think they could have two big schemes going on?" Torch inquired, sitting cross-legged next to the array of papers.

"I don't think they have the resources for two big schemes," Sabrina clarified.

"True," Torch said with a shrug. "Or….. Or maybe pulled a fast one on us. They might have found some way to grow beyond the League's estimates. First we should try and be sure that the tyranitar was with the caterpie catchers."

"Oh, that's what I've been spending hours doing," Sabrina groaned. "The police from Viridian kicked the Pewter police off the case halfway through their investigation, but didn't collect the evidence from them. I've had to correlate everything!"

"You'd think Giovanni would try and reign them in," Torch shook his head. "It's almost like he's encouraging them."

"He doesn't think that it's 'his place' to try and make them behave," Sabrina said with a small growl.

"That man," Torch let out a little laugh. "I pity his hypothetical spouses."

"He's usually reliable the rest of the time. It's just stupid little things like that where he's stubborn." Sabrina looked back at the papers. "Let's just focus on cleaning up this little mess of his for tonight."

* * *

"Did you figure out what you're going to do with Butterfree?" Brock asked when Ash returned to camp. Brock had a fire going and was busy cooking their dinner. Misty was off training her pokémon in the ocean.

"He decided that he would try to find a mate that wanted to be a single parent," Ash replied, taking a seat by the fire. He stared at the flames for several silent moments. "I feel weird about that. I don't know why."

"Have you ever heard the phrase, 'different strokes for different folks'," Brock asked.

"I think so."

"I'm pretty sure that's what's going on here," Brock explained. "He's making a choice that doesn't line up with-"

"No, it's fine," Ash interrupted. "I mean, I think it's weird, but that's not what bothering me. It's just that… well…. He's just doing this because he doesn't want to be in heat."

"Hmmm….. then are you bothered that Butterfree's planning to take part in making a new pokémon just so that he won't be bothered anymore?" Brock asked as he stirred something in a pot.

"I guess," Ash shrugged. "It…"

"Makes the 'miracle of life' seem really mundane?" Brock raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You think this is bad, wait until you learn about the mating habits of salandits or-"

"No thanks," Ash cut him off. "I'll just try and keep the rest of my sense of wonder alive."

Brock laughed at that. "As someone aspiring to be a pokémon breeder I'm afraid I've got a different perspective on the subject."

"I've never thought about that and I don't want to start," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"But it's fun!" Brock said with a shit-eating-grin. "You've got to figure out how to persuade the two pokémon to get together-"

"I'm not hearing this," Ash clamped his hands over his ears.

"Make sure that they're looking their best-"

"La La La La, I can't hear you!"

"You've got to check them out for health problems first of course, in case their diet isn't quite right for them to get-"

"What part of I'm not hearing this can't you understand!"

Brock just started laughing while Ash fumed.

"Okay, I'll stop teasing you," Brock said when they had both calmed down, moving the pot off of the fire. "But Butterfree might need some help when he goes courting."

"What! Why?" Ash said, indignant. "He's a very nice butterfree! He's really strong!"

"Can he communicate that to the flock though?" Brock asked. "From what I gathered from the pokédex entry, these butterfree are primarily a migratory culture from the tropics. They'll be looking for different signals than the ones the more sedentary butterfrees in the north use."

"Like what?" Ash asked, still indignant.

"Well, for one, they'll be more colorful," Brock explained. "Up in the north being colorful is a way to warn off predators, but they don't want to stick out too much. In the tropics it's a form of sexual selection-"

"What?"

"A way to be better at getting mates," Brock said, looking like he was rolling his eyes. "Look, you're going to want to give him an ornament of some sort. Do you have a scarf that's a primary color?"

"No," Ash shook his head.

"I've got a red one he can borrow," Brock told the boy. "How's his precision flying?"

"Not as good as Pidgeot's, but still good," Ash said.

"There's a mating dance he'll have to perform," Brock informed Ash. "You might want to help him practice that before he goes looking."

"Oh fine," Ash sighed. "Ugh, why does mating have to be so complicated."

"It could be worse," Brock said, moving a new pan to the fire to prepare the next part of the meal. "He could have to deal with human mating."

* * *

The next morning Sabrina teleported back to the Yin-Li Memorial Pokémon Center. She made sure to appear on the dirt path outside so that she wouldn't startle anyone; a wasted effort as her abrupt appearance made a visiting trainer jump several feet into the air and grab a pokéball.

After apologizing for startling the person, Sabrina entered the center and contacted the officer currently in charge of protecting the witnesses, requesting some time to interview Aoba. The officer acquiesced to her request, showed the gym leader to an out of the way room, and left to go fetch the former scientist.

Sabrina looked around the small room and sighed. When was the last time she had fought a challenger or had been involved in the gym's communal training? It seems like all she had done lately, outside of her personal training, was having meetings and reading reports. This hadn't been what she had thought being a gym leader would be like.

The door opened again and the former scientist was shown into the room. Sabrina studied him. The man's face was technically the same as the photos she had seen of him, but he looked so much different. There was a new energy to the man and it changed his face. His eyes seemed clearer, his expression seemed more focused, and Sabrina could actually imagine a smile on that face, unlike what she had seen in the photos. He was dressed in tan overalls and had the smudges and bits of dirt to show that he had been working outside.

"Aoba, I presume?" She asked, getting up to shake his hand.

"That's me, yes," he answered, shaking her hand.

"I've got some questions for you, if you don't mind," Sabrina said as they sat down.

"I've been dealing with a lot of questions these last few months," Aoba said dryly. "I should be able to stomach a few more. What do you want to know? More questions about- about what happened with Ted? What happened in the forest?"

"No," Sabrina shook her head. "I'm actually here to talk to you about the experiments on Cinnabar Island."

"What about them?" Aoba titled his head to the side.

"We need to go over some general information. You've stated that the experiments involved genetic engineering to produce a new sort of pokémon?" Sabrina said. "Specifically, a new psychic-type pokémon."

"Yes," Aoba nodded. "I was involved in the creation of the amniotic fluid, figuring out the biomatter requirements for the creature to grow, and several other odds and ends."

"Do you know what the purpose of the new psychic-type was?"

"There wasn't an intended purpose," Aoba told her. "It was…." His brow furrowed. "It was…. I think the idea was to examine a new source of DNA, but I can't remember what was special about that DNA."

Alarm bells began ringing in Sabrina's head.

"Let's move onto another subject then," she said. "You said you left the project early?"

"I wasn't needed after they began to produce the pokémon," Aoba told her. "And they weren't paying attention to my ethics complaints."

"Were they violating any ethical guidelines?"

"Not directly. I was worried about the ramifications of certain policies. I felt that they would be insufficient or counterproductive."

"What policies?"

Aoba's brow furrowed again.

"I-" He raised a hand and then dropped it. "I don't remember the specific policies. I know that they were important- I just don't remember what they were."

"Mr. Aoba, may I get your consent to use telepathic methods to aid in this interview?" Sabrina asked, keeping her voice calm.

"You want to read my mind?" Aoba's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Correct."

Aoba's face showed evidence of an internal struggle but he didn't say anything at first. Finally, after the internal wrestling match had gone on for a minute he spoke again.

"If you think it would help, then yes," he told the gym leader.

"Thank you," Sabrina said and then she let her eyes glow as she reached into his mind.

From the get go she could tell that the former scientist was being honest about being unable to remember the answers to her questions. She probed at where the memories should be, but only found missing connections.

"Do you know what happened to the lab after you left?" She continued her interrogation while monitoring his mind.

"It burned down," Aoba answered.

"Do you know why?"

"N- No…." Aoba looked puzzled by his own response. Tracing his thoughts, memories, and the internal connections of his mind, Sabrina could tell that he was being technically honest. She could sense where something like suspicions once lay, flows of memory and thought slowly filling the void.

Someone had tampered with his memory.

And they had done so with such a fine, deft touch, that the man wouldn't even realize that his forgetfulness was unnatural. His mental connections, the ones that people used to navigate their own memory, the ones that telepaths used to navigate the memories of others, had been cut so cleanly that it was hard to tell that they had ever really pointed at another memory. The way they were now, they would naturally fade, and in time Aoba would forget that he had forgotten anything.

Sabrina searched deeper, going past thoughts and memories and into the core of the man's mind. She scanned through it, looking for anything that didn't belong.

It was like flying through a mountain range constructed of light, like diving into the darkest depths of the ocean and playing with large bioluminescent creatures, like spinning through a burning nebula. At the same time, it was nothing like that; those were only impressions that Sabrina developed after the fact when her brain attempted to make sense of the data. It was impossible to describe the experience to a non-psychic as it involved none of usual human senses.

Sabrina whirled through mental energies until she caught the barest hint of something that didn't belong, a wisp of power that didn't match up with the rest of Aoba's mind. She almost dismissed it. But in the end the intruder had been too perfect; the former scientist's mind was missing the normal amount of clutter that should come from his own brain and background psychic fields.

She examined the wisp, trying to recognize the power, trying to figure out what psychic techniques had been used. But it resisted her analysis. She was fairly certain that it couldn't be from a human, but she couldn't match the power to any pokémon she had ever encountered and she had made sure to study every pokémon with psychic potential known to Kanto, from butterfrees to hatennas.

Was it from a pokémon from the other side of the world? Or was it something new?

Sabrina withdrew from Aoba's mind, her own brain buzzing with thoughts and speculations. Lost in her own head she didn't realize that Aoba was still talking.

"Miss? Miss?" Aoba asked and Sabrina shook her head.

"Sorry," she apologized. "What were you saying?"

"I asked if you found what you needed," Aoba repeated.

"Yes, for now," Sabrina said. "I'll probably need to talk to you again later. Thank you for your cooperation."

And then she teleported away with a pop of displaced air, leaving Aoba alone in the room.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.

Doing something a _little _different with this bit. Let's hope it pans out.

Anyway, don't forget to review!


	44. Chapter 44

The next morning, after a large breakfast, Ash and Brock set out to help Butterfree while Misty decided to do some more ocean training.

"First," Brock said after Ash let Butterfree out of his pokéball, "let's take care of his coloration." He dug into his bag and pulled out a bright red scarf and tied it around the pokémon's neck.

"Is that really going to be enough?" Ash asked.

"Maybe not," Brock said looking Butterfree over critically. "But it's all we have on hand. Aaron, can you have Butterfree demonstrate his mating dance?"

"Sure," Ash said, turning to his pokémon. "Hey Butterfree, want to show us the mating dance you're going to do?"

_Umm… I don't know how to do a mating dance…. _Butterfree said, a blush on his purple face.

_Oh, come on, _Pikachu groaned from by Ash's feet. _It should be instinct! Go with the flow! _

_ I'm not sure my instincts are very good, but I'll give it a try! _Butterfree replied. He then started to flutter around the observers.

_Uh…_

"Uh…"

"Uh…"

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu looked at each other, frowning. They had their work cut out for them.

Brock had Ash pull up an example of a butterfree courtship dance on the pokédex. It resembled what Butterfree had done, in the same way a puddle resembled a lake.

The pokémon in the video had much crisper movements. Instead of merely fluttering around the recipient, the dancer was supposed to zip from place to place and hover. Their movements were also supposed to emphasize the strength of their wings and show off the dancer's body.

If the dancer was successful, their audience was supposed to respond with their own dance, though it was a more abbreviated version. This behavior was only documented while mating flocks were gathered, so Ash figured it was completely instinctual.

It certainly explained why they weren't just talking it out like normal creatures, Ash thought to himself. It would be silly for anyone to dance around the issue or have a bunch of weird rituals- In the middle of that thought Ash remembered what little he had seen and read about human romance and decided that he had no room to judge.

After dances had been exchanged the pair would then mate. The pokédex had no further information on what would happen after that for mated pairs in a flock. The entry simply stated that more research was needed. There was even a box that would allow Ash to jot down his own notes, observations, and any recordings to be submitted.

"Huh," Ash said. "I didn't know I could give reports on this thing."

"The professor has been pushing to try and crowdsource research for a while now," Brock explained reading over Ash's shoulder. "I think that's part of how he's justifying giving out pokédexes."

"Hmmm….. should I try and add something?"

"Please do," Brock said. "Any data you can get here will be helpful to pokémon breeders."

"Really?"

_Ya think? _Pikachu drawled.

"One thing breeders need to know about is pokémon mating behaviors," Brock explained. "It's sort of crucial to the whole thing, if you get what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah," Ash rolled his eyes. "Let's just help Butterfree practice."

They spent the next hour helping Butterfree get his routine down pat. He went from aimless fluttering to a much more coordinated pattern of flitting, hovering, and twisting. Ash and Brock applauded when he finished his final round of practice.

"Good job Butterfree!" Ash said, smiling and giving his pokémon two thumbs up.

"Now let's get him cleaned up," Brock said, reaching into the bag where he kept his grooming supplies.

Brock proceeded to wipe Butterfree down, before getting out a variety of powders, oils, and brushes. He had Butterfree sit on the ground in front of him while he began to brush and polish the pokémon. Ash stood nearby, hunched over with his hands on his knees as he watched.

"How'd you get into this stuff anyway?" Ash asked the former gym leader.

"I dunno" Brock shrugged. "There wasn't really a moment where I said to myself 'I want to be a pokémon breeder'."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah." Brock replied while continuing to groom Butterfree. "Most people don't have a moment where they decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives."

"Uh….." Ash, who could remember the moment when he decided to become a pokémon trainer with crystal clarity, had no response.

"If want to know so badly," Brock went on, "it was probably when I got Onix."

"How'd you get him?"

"He was a present from my d- from Flint," Brock replied, gently brushing Butterfree's antenna.

_That feels good, _Butterfree said with a pleased hum.

_Getting groomed is the best, _Pikachu said in agreement.

"Present?" Ash inquired.

"Yeah, I had just woken up on my tenth birthday and who should lean through the window but Onix wearing a ribbon," Brock paused and smiled at the memory. "I hugged him and then he was my pokémon. He was a lot smaller back then."

Ash heard that most trainers received their pokémon from the local gym. Ash guessed that what happened with Brock wasn't too different from that.

"Onix was still young, so I had to work hard to raise him," Brock went on. "It's not easy to raise an onix. You have to learn to read their mood-"

Or listen to what they're saying, Ash thought to himself.

"-and figure out how to calm them down when they get antsy," Brock went on resuming the grooming of Butterfree. "It can be dangerous. But I loved every minute of it."

"Oh, oh, oh," Ash said excitedly. "Did you learn to cook by making home-made meals for onix?"

"No, why?"

"Ahhhh," Ash sighed. "That would've been cool."

"No, even before I got onix I was helping mom out in the kitchen all the time," Brock said. "I did it so much that mom and I used to compete to see who could make my siblings' favorite foods better." He sighed. "She won most of the time, but I was getting better before she… well, now I'll never be able to settle that score."

"I- uh- I'm sorry," Ash said, unsure of the proper response in the current context.

"It's alright," Brock said with a sad smile. "I miss her, but it's been years."

"Still- uh- er," Ash stammered. "It couldn't have been easy?"

"No, it wasn't," Brock's eyebrows drew into a glare and his tone got darker. "She was in charge of the gym when she got sick. Flint was off on a training trip. A few weeks later I was the one in charge."

"Being a gym leader wasn't fun?" Ash asked, sitting down behind the boy, recalling the way Brock had acted back in Pewter City.

"No, it wasn't," Brock replied bitterly. "At least not for me."

"Then why does Misty want to be a gym leader?"

"Because she's not me," Brock snapped and then he sighed. "She also won't have to take care of nine kids while running the gym."

"She talks like she had to take care of her sisters already."

"They don't take running the gym seriously enough for her," Brock said. "But don't listen to her too much. Believe me, I know how hard her sisters worked to take care of her when she was little."

"Oh."

"Mom and Flint were always making sure to send care packages to them," Brock went on. "Trying to help them a little, you know? I never thought Flint would- I never thought he'd be okay with putting someone else in the same spot as them. Only none of my siblings were old enough to help. I couldn't split the work with anyone. They at least can put on their shows and work on their acting. I had to spend all my time at the gym or taking care of my siblings."

"I'm sorry," Ash said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "That wasn't right."

"Preaching to the choir Aaron, preaching to the choir," Brock sighed. "But thanks. What about you? You're an only child, right?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded.

"Your parents had office jobs, right? I think you said that once."

"They did," Ash lied smoothly. He had taken Erika's advice and worked on practicing some of his lies and making sure his story stayed straight. "They're boring but nice."

"That's good to hear," Brock said. "But you're missing out by being an only child. Younger siblings are great."

"If you say so," Ash shrugged.

"I do," Brock replied with a nod. "Who knows? Maybe life will surprise you with a sibling one of these days."

"I doubt that."

* * *

"Argh!" Sabrina clutched her head and growled as she paced back and forth on the gym rooftop. "Everything makes even less sense now!"

"Uh," Torch began, leaning against the entryway, "if you're just venting shouldn't this be Atsushi's job?"

"Oh, be quiet," Sabrina snapped. "I listen to you vent all the time."

"I don't vent!"

"What do you call all that bitching about the price of spell components then?"

"Ummmm….."

"Or when you complain about how your dates don't call you back?"

"Well….."

"Or when you dragged me over to Lavender Town so you could get drunk and cry on my shoulder about that break-up you had with that channeler?"

"Okay, you've got me there," Torch said, wincing.

"Besides, I'm complaining about this **farce **of an investigation," Sabrina hissed. "Atsushi doesn't have clearance."

"You could've just led with that."

"I just wanted to remind you how much you owe me," Sabrina flashed him an angry smile before the glare returned. "Aoba, the scientist who was targeted by Team Rocket, his mind has been tampered with."

"What?" Torch stood up straight.

"His memory has been altered," Sabrina continued. "Parts of it have been removed."

"What parts?" Torch asked.

"Sections concerning the experiment," Sabrina grit her teeth as she explained. "It was very finely done too, better than anyone I've ever seen."

"Including you?"

"Including me," Sabrina nodded. "But they were inexperienced. They cleaned up after themselves too well. It was- It was like going into a room that was supposed to have been sealed for years and not finding any dust."

"Wait, are they good or not?" Torch asked.

"I said that they were inexperienced," Sabrina repeated. "Not that they were bad. They're scarily good. Who knows what they could be doing with that power, that skill?" She turned away to look out over the city.

"They could pick and replace memories easier than you could rearrange a desk," she went on, "read thoughts through some of the best defenses, implant ideas and urges so subtly that no one would ever be able to tell that they were artificial, or even find ways to naturally inspire those whims." The gym leader shuddered. "Their inexperience is temporary. They're going to need to be dealt with soon."

There was a silent moment as the two thought about the implications.

"So, not only does Team Rocket have a strong psychic or psychic-type, in the end they also did manage to silence the scientist," Torch sighed.

"That's the thing," Sabrina said, shaking her head. "I'm not sure it was them."

"Why not?"

"If they had the opportunity to alter his memory they could have just as easily killed him," Sabrina explained. "It would have been child's play to pinch a nerve or blood vessel."

"Maybe Team Rocket wiped his memory a while ago, but were worried that they missed something?" Torch suggested, stroking his chin as he thought.

"No, it was recent," Sabrina said, shaking her head again. "It was probably while Team Rocket was hunting him."

"Do you think it could have been another cell?" Torch asked. "Maybe the left hand didn't know what the right hand was up to?"

"That's one possibility," Sabrina acknowledged. "But with a telepath that good, they should have had no problem communicating."

"So, what, do you think a third party's involved?" Torch asked and then grimaced. "Oh, no wonder you're going crazy."

"Thank you!" Sabrina cried out, throwing up her arms. "I don't know if there's a third party or a fourth party, or if Team Rocket decided to invite all the criminal teams from the other regions to throw a big party! There's just too much that doesn't make sense with the evidence I have!"

"I'm glad that I'm not in your shoes."

"Oh, piss me off too much and I'll assign this investigation to you," Sabrina sighed. "I think I just need one big piece of evidence to blow this case wide open. Everything will make sense then."

"Or it will make everything even more confusing."

"Please don't tempt fate."

* * *

Butterfree soared off the cliff's edge and towards the cloud of butterfrees above. Sunlight glittered off the ocean below and off the scaled wings of the flock above. A current-warmed breeze carried the taste of salt from the waters below. The chattering and flapping of wings clashed with the crashing of waves and the rush of the ocean.

Buttefree felt like he had butterfrees in his stomach, to borrow the human phrase. He felt too big and too small for his skin. He felt jittery, ornery, and too full of energy. And then there was the new feeling stirring within him and the, well, parts that were, ah, well, stirring too. Butterfree would have been perfectly happy if those parts had stayed quiet.

He soared into the flock and immediately became annoyed by the constantly moving press of bodies around him. Butterfree had to duck, dodge, dive, roll, bank and weave through oblivious fliers to avoid collisions. Many butterfrees didn't bother and he could see that there were several small fights breaking out.

Butterfree began to peruse the female butterfrees and in turn was perused by several other butterfrees. A couple interested butterfrees actually began to dance at him until they realized that he wasn't interested.

Butterfree felt bad for them as they slunk away; felt bad that the target of their interest hadn't been interested in return. But at the end of the day he hadn't found them any more enticing than any of the other butterfrees also fluttering around.

He wanted to growl at himself. Why did he have to be picky? He just wanted all these feelings gone!

The day wore on and Butterfree continued to move through the flock. He saw Ash and Brock watching below, giving him thumbs up whenever they caught him looking at them. Butterfree was growing more and more frustrated. By the looks of things, he wasn't the only pokémon doing so. Many of the other butterfree were becoming obviously ornerier as the day wore on and they hadn't found any mate. Several small fights had broken out.

Finally, in the final hours before the winter sunset would begin in earnest, Butterfree found something interesting. Amongst the glittering white and the fuzzy blue, there was a splash of vivid pink. It was an off-color butterfree; a shiny butterfree.

The emotions that had been the source of his woes, plus the associated parts, seemed interested in that butterfree.

Judging by the crowd around her, he wasn't the only one who's attention had been caught. A swarm within the flock surrounded her, jostling each other as they tried to dance around her. She didn't seem too interested in any of the dancers though.

Butterfree figured that she probably wouldn't be interested in him either.

Ash's pokémon gulped. And then he fluttered into what he assumed was the back of the queue, or rather, just the back of the crowd. The least he could do was try. Just like all the other butterfrees who were giving her their best efforts, just like the butterfrees who had given him their best effort.

More butterfrees danced and were rejected, slinking off a sad flapping of wings and low hanging heads. Butterfree fidgeted as he hovered while the group thinned.

When the group before him thinned enough for Butterfree to be able to see the pink individual again, something hit him between the wings, shoving him out of the way.

_Hey! _Butterfree shouted as another butterfree moved past him. _What was that for! _

_ You were in the way pipsqueak, _the other butterfree yelled back. They looked at Butterfree for a moment, long enough for both of them to realize that Butterfree was actually the larger of the two, and then they corrected themself. _You were in the way you miserable oaf! _

The other members of the flock had vacated the immediate area and formed a sphere around them. The butterfree who had shoved him was now glaring at Butterfree.

_Get out of the way, _they growled.

Butterfree wanted to growl back and maybe slap the interloper out of the sky for good measure. But he was also sick of having to deal with his current set of emotions and didn't feel listening to them anymore than he had to. He wanted to act like his normal, day to day, self.

And that meant trying to avoid a pointless, unfun, fight.

_I'm sorry, but I was here first, _Butterfree said levelly. _If you would please wait your turn-_

The other butterfree just huffed and tried to tackle Butterfree. Butterfree was able to spin out of the way and his attacker barely caught themself before crashing into the watching crowd.

_Can we please not do this? _Butterfree pleaded as his opponent whirled around. _I just want to get this day over with so that- _

His opponent charged again. Butterfree sighed and let gravity pull him out of the way at the last second. This time the attacking butterfree didn't stop in time and tackled several onlookers.

Butterfree winced as a general brawl ensued, frustrated bug types attacking each other in a general melee that drew in more and more of the surrounding butterfrees, either to fight or to watch. He just had to sigh at the sight.

_That was clever, _someone said behind him.

_It was an accident, _Butterfree groaned.

_Really? It seems like you got them and everyone else out of the way. _

_ But that's not fair to everyone who was in front of me, _Butterfree whined, before something struck him. _Wait, what do you mean? _

He turned around and looked. The butterfrees who had been previously waiting for their turn to dance at the shiny butterfree had either left, been pulled into the fight, or were part of a new sphere of watchers forming around the fight. The only butterfree left was the one talking to him.

Which was the pink butterfree.

Which was now talking to him.

Butterfree felt a blush creep over his face. His wings faltered for a moment and he nearly fell before he caught himself.

_Oh, ummm…. Uh…. Hi? _He managed to stammer out.

_You really didn't plan for that? _The pink butterfree squinted at him.

_No, honest! _Butterfree swore. _I just didn't want to fight!_

_ You didn't? _

_ No! I mean, I did, but I didn't want to, and since I didn't want to want to, I tried not to, but it didn't work, but everyone was as frustrated as him so I guess it did, but not in a good way, but at least it's over and- and- and, _Butterfree's babble trailed off and he looked down. He could feel that the blush had consumed his whole face by now.

_Well, then if you ever get a trainer, they should take you gambling, _the pink butterfree said, giving the brawl a glance out of the corner of her eye.

_Uh, actually, I've already got a trainer, _Butterfree managed to say, fidgeting in midair. He shut his eyes hard, hunching up. _Umm… as long as I can talk to you now, I'm actually planning on going back to him after, uh, well, mating I guess. If that's a problem then I can just go away. _

_ That's not a problem, _the pink butterfree said.

_Okay, _Buttefree gulped.

_It's not a problem for me at least, _the pink butterfree continued. _I'm tempted to say that it might be a problem for __**you**_.

_It- I- It just feels like I'd be abandoning the eggs, _Butterfree said, opening his eyes again. _I just keep thinking about them being snatched up by predators. _

_ You've never even heard of flocking before, have you? _The pink butterfree asked. _We're going somewhere in the Orange Islands where we aren't any predators. For us or our hatchlings. _

_ Really? _

_ Yes! _The pink pokémon nodded. _And don't worry about the journey there either. We travel as a flock for protection! We can pool our strength and as long as we stick together no predator can touch us! _

_ So, I won't be leaving anyone in danger if mate and leave? _Butterfree perked up.

_You won't be the first, _the pink bug-type said dryly. _But you're the only one I've seen who was so… conflicted about it. _

_ I'm sorry, _Butterfree said, wincing. _It's just… I want to mate, but I don't want to want to mate. I just want to get rid of this feeling and go back to normal. I feel guilty because I'm just trying to use some other butterfree- _

_ I mean, that's what I'm doing too, _the pink one replied. _I just intend to use one of you males to get some eggs of my own. _

_ Huh? _Butterfree blinked in confusion. _That sounds like- nevermind. _

_ Like I'm not experiencing the same urges that you are? _The other butterfree asked. _Well I'm not. _

_ Lucky, _Butterfree said without thinking.

_Lucky? Lucky that I've got something else to mark me as a freak? _His conversation partner replied acidly. _It's not enough that I've got to be a 'shiny', but I've also got to put up with everyone bothering me about mating and finding a partner even though I don't care about those things? Having to put up with-_

_ Sorry, _Butterfree said hurriedly. _I didn't- I just really don't like feeling like this. I didn't think-_

_ That's correct, _the pink butterfree said in her previous tone.

_I didn't think anyone would care about that- in someone else I mean, _Butterfree continued. _I- I wasn't really close to other pokémon back after I left my parents, not like that. I'm sorry. _

_ Apology accepted, _the pink one sighed._ What was your name again? _

_ It's Butterfree, _Butterfree answered. _What's yours? _

_ I'm Sky Painter, _the other answered.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Butterfree spoke again.

_So, you're just looking to get some eggs? _Butterfree said.

_Why does that surprise you? _

_It doesn't. I'm just- I'm just trying to understand you, _Butterfree said.

_It's because I've always been an 'Aunt Sky Painter', _Sky Painter replied. _Always helping others with their young. __I want to try having some of my own for once. _

_ You don't mind- wait, does the flock help with raising the eggs too? _Butterfree asked, starting to drift to the side.

_ Yes. _Sky Painter nodded again._ We all work together until the hatchlings are independent. _

_ So, I really wouldn't be needed, _Butterfree mused. _That's- well, it's- _

_ A burden off your mind? _

_ Yeah! _Butterfree nodded, bobbing up and down and fluttering about excitedly. _Now I've just got to find a mate! _

_ Uh….. I thought you were going to try and mate with me? _Sky Painter asked, looking slightly down and to the side.

_Of course, but you've got so many options I figure that I won't be good enough, _Butterfree said, still fluttering about excitedly, looking around. _But at least I know that the next butterfree I want to dance for will probably be okay with what I'm planning to do! _

_ Um… okay then, _Sky Painter said, looking down. _But, maybe, you should dance before deciding on anything? _

_ Okay! _Butterfree trilled. He began to fly as he had practiced earlier. He darted from place to place, hovering, spinning, and presenting, before darting off again. He wove threads of flight all around Sky Painter, making sure to keep his form crisp and his wingbeats regular.

He wasn't even breathing hard when he finished, turning back to look at Sky painter.

_Ta da! _He crowed.

_You've been practicing, _Sky Painter said, looking him over with a critical eye. _You're also well fed, but that's because you're a trained pokémon. I guess I have to come out and ask then. _

_ Ask what? _Butterfree inquired, tilting his head to the side.

_Were you sick a lot when you were younger? _

_ No, _Butterfree replied, head still titled.

_Do you know if your parents were sickly? _

_ They were fine. _

_ Were they big? _

_ I guess, _Butterfree, whose memories of his parents were of him as a caterpie being around a pair of butterfrees.

_Hmmmm….. _Sky Painter slowly circled him, looking him over. _I think- Well, I think I should try and be fair. _

And with that she began to flutter around Butterfree, giving him her own dance. Her movements were slower than his, but had an edge of grace that his own had lacked. She finished by coming to a stop right in front of him.

_That was great! _Butterfree cheered. _You're really good at flying! _

_ I try to live up to my name, _Sky Painter replied, a smirk in her voice, and the butterfree equivalent on her face. _Now, are you ready to get down to business? _

_ Business? What- Ooooohhhh…._Butterfree blushed again, face completely covered by the heat. _Um, yes we should- _

It was at that point that butterfrees began to fall out of the sky around them.

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.

Felt like doing something a _little _bit different in this version.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


	45. Chapter 45

Ash sat between Brock and Pikachu near the edge of the cliff as Butterfree soared off into the flock. Brock watched through a pair of binoculars while Pikachu napped on Ash's other side. Ash had his pokédex out and had turned on the speech-to-text function so that he and Brock could dictate their observations.

"Oh, that didn't take very long," Brock commented, pointing at Butterfree. Ash followed his finger and could see that Butterfree was receiving a dance from another member of his species. When Butterfree didn't react the dancer sadly fluttered away.

"Oh, that poor, poor thing," Brock sighed. "Still, it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

"I guess," Ash shrugged.

"Oh, that saying is just wasted on you." Brock said archly. "Still, in a few more years you might start getting it..."

"Getting what?

"Nevermind." Brock sighed and returned to watching the flock.

Butterfree flitted through the cloud of his species while Brock and Ash watched and debated about what was happening. They both made sure to describe several of the interactions they saw between members of the flock for the benefit of the pokédex. They watched Butterfree, identifiable by his scarf, reject suitor after suitor.

Brock slowly shook his head as one slunk away. "You gotta make sure to **butter **him up first," he said with a grin.

Ash rolled his eyes.

"Oh, didn't make it home **free**," Brock commented after another was rejected, eliciting a groan from Ash.

"I guess they shouldn't have **bugged **him," Brock said after another failure to woo Butterfree.

"You're awful," Ash told him, cradling his face in his hands.

"I'm Brockful, you mean."

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"It doesn't need to," Brock said, face sporting a shit-eating grin.

"Your poor brothers and sisters," Ash groaned. "They had to put up with this for two years?"

"Oh, I was making these jokes before I started taking care of them," Brock informed the boy.

"Your poor family," Ash shook his head slowly.

"Oh, they loved it," Brock said. They turned back to look at the flock in time to see another suitor fail to attract Butterfree. The two watched it slink off in silence.

"Those poor pokémon," Brock sighed. "It's not easy to do what they're doing."

"Huh?" Ash looked over at Brock, his brow furrowed.

"To go up to someone they're attracted to and try and talk to them. To be upfront about their interest." Brock looked down at the ground between his legs, a grimace on his face. "It's not easy. I've been where they are."

"You have?" Ash's eyebrows shot up. "I thought you were too young to be interested in romance."

"What- Who- Aaron, how old do you think I am?" Brock asked, giving Ash an incredulous look.

"Uh…." Ash searched his memory. "You became a gym leader when you were sixteen, I think, and it's been two years, so around eighteen?"

"Yes!" Brock said. "How old do you think you need to be to be interested in romance?"

"Uh… twenty something?"

"Ugh," Brock groaned, face in hand. "Aaron, you can start being interested in that stuff younger than you are now."

"What? Really?" Ash thought back to his sex-ed courses. "Well, I guess that's what they taught us in school, but it seems like only old people were interested in that stuff."

"Old people- Twenty something isn't old!" Brock said in a voice that was halfway between a groan and a cry.

"It is to me," replied the twelve-year-old Ash.

"Oh, Groudon save me," Brock pleaded to the earth.

They turned their eyes back to the sky. They saw Butterfree join the group of pokémon trying to woo the pink butterfree. They winced when the brawl started. They observed what appeared to be Butterfree talking to the pink butterfree. They watched with bated breath as Butterfree danced for the pink butterfree. They cheered when the pink butterfree danced back.

"He did it!" Ash said, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Good job Butterfree!" Brock cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Then Ash saw something that made him quit jumping.

"And- uh… are they supposed to be doing that," Ash asked, pointing at a butterfree falling from the sky.

"No- It's not the only one, look!" Brock pointed at a few others that had started to fall.

"What's going on?" Ash exclaimed, grabbing for Butterfree's pokéball.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about it," Brock said, hauling himself to his feet and grabbing a pokéball. "Zubat!"

_Wait, what's going on, _Pikachu asked groggily, picking himself up from his nap.

White light blazed and Zubat appeared before them, hovering.

"Zubat, find out if there are any strange people or pokémon nearby!" Brock ordered. Zubat turned around, opened his mouth wide, and then Ash could hear the faint ringing from the use of Supersonic. Zubat turned back to look at Brock and then pointed to the base of a nearby cliff with his head.

Ash's eyes followed and found a large bank of fog at the base of the cliff. Looking closer he thought that he saw barely perceptible movement. He looked back at the falling butterfrees just in time to see a tentacruel grab it before it hit the water. Beside it, an orange water type, with pincers and three spikes on its head, jumped out of the water to grab another.

"I think we've got some poachers on our hands," Brock growled, grabbing some more pokéballs from his belt.

"They're not getting Butterfree!" Ash growled and then tried to recall his pokémon. The red beam lanced out, but Butterfree flew away. He vanished into the flock as it milled around in obvious panic.

_Darkai's cruelty! _Ash snarled.

_Damnit Butterfree! _Pikachu swore. _What's the point of having one of those things if you don't retreat when you need to! _

Ash grabbed another pokéball. White light blazed again and Pidgeot joined the fray.

"Protect the flock!" Ash ordered. "The poachers are doing something to it! Try to shield them with Gust, or just get the falling ones somewhere safe!"

_I'll try! _Pidgeot cawed before taking wing. She banked, cutting through the air, and into the butterfrees. Columns of swirling wind began to surround sections of the flock.

"That'll only work if they're using something like Sleep Powder or tranquilizer darts," Brock said. "Damnit! Where's Misty when you need her!"

"She could save the butterfrees in the water?" Ash asked, watching another butterfree get pulled into the ocean.

"She could kick the poachers out of the water," Brock said, shielding his eyes and looking at the cliff base again. "We can't touch them from here-"

"Squirtle can-"

"Do you think Squirtle can handle all the pokémon we've seen in the water and the poachers too?" Brock asked, cutting Ash off.

"No," Ash agreed. "Then... come on… come on!" Ash rubbed the sides of his head, trying to think of something he could do. "Pikachu! Do you think you could hit them there!" He pointed to the bank of fog by the bottom of the cliff.

Pikachu judged the distance with a critical eye.

_I could get one good shot there, _Pikachu replied, nodding. _But I'll need to rest after that. _

"He thinks he can do it!" Ash said, turning to Brock.

"We don't know if they've got the stolen butterfrees in there, so be careful," Brock warned. "We don't want to kill the pokémon we're trying to save."

Ash nodded and then turned back to Pikachu. "Ready when you are, buddy."

_Stand back, _Pikachu warned and then he started to scrunch up his face. Sparks danced around his cheeks and the hairs on Ash's arms began to stand on end as a charge grew in the air. A faint yellow light surrounded him and his eyes were fixed into a glare.

_Leave Butterfree alone! _Pikachu bellowed as he unleashed a crackling, booming bolt of yellow power. The fog bank roiled and billowed as the electricity coursed through it, tearing it to shreds. People and pokémon cried out from within.

The fog dispersed, leaving a number of cameo-clad humans picking themselves up from an icy platform alongside a poliwrath and a purple pokémon with gems for eyes. They were armed with crossbows and what looked like dart rifles.

"Take cover," Brock said, pushing Ash down as one of the humans below looked over at their perch.

"Hey!" Ash protested, but Brock was already grabbing a pokéball.

"Go, Geodude!" Brock cried out as the pokémon appeared in a flash of light. "Get ready to use Rock Throw!"

"I'm not-" Ash tried to stand up, but Brock grabbed him by the shoulders.

"You can help, just don't let them get a shot off," Brock told him. "You should know to stay behind cover by now."

"Yeah, but-" Ash tried to think of a way to succinctly express the feeling that Brock was going to force him to run away to keep him safe and how even if Brock wasn't planning to do that, rebelling against that the thing that Ash felt Brock was going to do was somehow more important than staying safe. In the end he realized how foolish the sentiment was and stayed down, keeping an eye on Pidgeot while trying to find Butterfree in the flock.

_I need to catch my breath, _Pikachu panted, laying down beside him. _Give me a minute. _

Projectiles whistled through the air as Geodude began to bombard the poachers. Ash couldn't see what was happening, but he heard ice cracking and people shouting in anger and panic. He guessed that Brock had his pokémon targeting the platform instead of the people.

"Bulbasaur!" Ash cried out. More light bloomed and the grass type joined the group. "Help Geodude! Listen to Brock!"

"Thanks," Brock replied before turning to Bulbasaur. "Target the ice with whatever you can hit it with."

_Makes sense to me, _Bulbasaur said with a shrug. He began to join Geodude in the assault, whipping rocks and the occasional Razor Leaf down at the poachers.

Ash crawled to the edge of the cliff and peeked over. The ice platform was breaking up and the poachers were already scrambling and swimming for the cliff. Ash could see the bursts of light that meant that they were sending out pokémon. From the way that the poachers were vanishing under the waves, he figured that they were swimming away using water-types.

"We've driven them off," Brock said from beside Ash. "The flock should be safe. For now."

Ash looked back over at the flock, just in time to see two shapes speeding away, one pink, and one with a scarf around its neck.

* * *

_Take care of them, _Butterfree said, telekinetically depositing a pair of unconscious butterfrees into the care of several members of their flock. He looked around. There weren't any more pokémon falling from the sky. A few butterfrees were held aloft by whirlwinds, watched over by Pidgeot as anxious flockmates fluttered down to retrieve them.

He also saw the commotion by the base of the cliff and realized that he could faintly sense some minds that he couldn't sense before, even though the cliffs should have been out of his range.

It was strange, but Butterfree didn't care about why it was happening. Several members of the flock had vanished into the waters below and Butterfree didn't intend to let the poachers get away with them. He dived until he was out of the flock and pulled up, the wind whistling past as he sped after the poachers.

As he chased, he saw something pulling closer out of the corner of his eye. Something pink.

_What are you doing here? _Sky Painter asked as she pulled alongside him.

_I'm going after the butterfrees those humans took, _Butterfree answered. _What are you doing? _

_ The same thing! _Sky Painter called back. _I'm not letting them steal members of my flock! _

_ How are you planning on tracking them? _Butterfree asked.

_Psychically!_

_ Won't we have to get close to do that? _

_Not as long as we don't get too far from the flock, _Sky Painter told him. _How- Right, you're new. Did you try and sense anything while you were with us? If you did you might have noticed-_

_ Is that how I sensed those poachers over here? _Butterfree asked as they skimmed over the waters by the cliff base, where chunks of ice melted and tumbled in the waves. _But why didn't someone sense them earlier? _

_ They probably had a dark-type or ghost-type shielding them, _Sky Painter explained. _I don't know why it quit-_

_ I think my trainer and his friends attacked them, _Butterfree told her.

_Good, _Sky Painter nodding and humming in approval. _But it looks like the poachers have got a lead on us. Reach out to me and I'll show you how to track them together. _

_ Right, _Butterfree nodded. He pushed his mind towards the pink butterfree and felt her mind embrace it. Their minor powers entangled and suddenly Butterfree felt himself sensing further, being gently pulled along with Sky Painter's awareness as she searched for the poachers. The two butterfrees found the poachers, a pod of minds moving beneath the waves.

_Ready? _Sky Painter asked.

_Always, _Butterfree nodded.

* * *

"Why did Butterfree go charging off?" Ash groaned. "Doesn't he know that it's dangerous?"

Brock raised a single eyebrow and said nothing.

"Ugh, now we're going to have to go after him to make sure he's safe."

Brock was still silent.

"Just flying off into trouble!" Ash complained, throwing up his arms. He sighed. "Alright, we have to find him. Can Zubat help?" The boy asked, turning to Brock, who just kept giving him a look.

"What?" Ash asked upon seeing Brock's expression.

"Nothing," Brock said, coughing into his shoulder.

"Okay," Ash said, shrugging. "So can Zubat help find Butterfree?"

"Yes," Brock nodded, coughing a bit more into the side of his fist. "Zubat has been trained to scout for things in trouble. I have anticipated situations like this one."

"Okay then! Let's go help Butterfree!" Ash said, turning to look out over the ocean. "Honestly, where'd he learn to act like that?"

_Yes, quite a mystery, _Pikachu said, coughing into a curled forepaw, imitating Brock.

Ash shot Pikachu a suspicious look, while Brock continued his odd coughing.

"Alright, let's find out what's happening, and then we'll need to make a plan." Brock said after he was done. "Zubat, it's time to get to work!"

* * *

Sky Painter and Butterfree tracked the poachers to a cave set in the coastal cliffs. The pair landed on the sides of some nearby rocks, peering over the top at the cave entrance. Once again Sky Painter reached out with her senses, using Butterfree's power to aid her.

_I can't sense anyone by the entrance, _she said. _But-_

_ It could be a dark-type or a ghost-type, _Butterfree finished for her.

_Exactly, _Sky Painter nodded. _So, we can't rely on sensing them. We'll need to look for them if we're going to get in. _

_ But if they're hidden somewhere we can't see them, then that won't work either, _Butterfree pointed out. _They'll just jump on us when our backs are turned. _

_ Ugh! That's no good! _Sky Painter groaned. _We need to sneak up on them so we can free the other butterfrees!_

_ I wonder how they're holding them, _Butterfree mused. _Are they using pokéballs or cages? _

_ Does it make a difference? _Sky Painter asked, shooting him a glare.

_It could, _Butterfree said, posing like he had seen Ash do when his trainer was thinking. He figured that it might help him think better. As long as Butterfree had to figure things out like Ash usually did, he might as well adopt some of the trainer's tricks as well. _I mean we can just grab the pokéballs, even if they've got locks, and then run. But if they're in cages, then we'll need to get them out. _

_ Ugh, _Sky Painter groaned again. _More to worry about. We need a plan-_

_ I think I've got one, _Butterfree said. _One of us can act as a distraction, to lure out whatever's guarding the entrance. The other can sneak in and free your flockmates. _

_ That could work, _Sky Painter replied. _Who's going to be the distraction though? _

There was a pause.

_I'll do it! _Both butterfrees said at the exact same time. They turned to glare at each other. _No, __**I'll **__do it! _They said, again in unison.

_Okay, it's my flock, so I should be the one to take the risk, _Sky Painter said.

_It's your flock, so they'll listen to you if you need to get them out of cages, _Butterfree pointed out.

_They'll listen to any butterfree then, _Sky Painter retorted. _I'm a shiny. Humans want those right? They'll be more focused on getting me than you. _

_ Which will make it harder for you to escape when I'm done, _Butterfree argued back. _If things go right, the sneaker shouldn't be seen, and that means it's safer for you to sneak in. _

_ By your logic, if things don't go right, I'll be seen and I'll be in the middle of the poachers if I sneak in, so it would be more dangerous for me, _Sky Painter replied.

_That's only if things go wrong, _Butterfree said. _You'll be in danger either way if you're the distraction. _

_ The sneaking pokémon should know some quiet attacks, _Sky Painter said, changing her angle of attack. _I don't know any. Do you know Sleep Powder or Stun Spore? _

_ Yes…. _Butterfree said hesitantly.

_Good. I don't. _Sky Painter stated, peering over the edge of the rock again. _You should do the sneaking, in case you've got to knock someone out quietly. _

_ I- You- Well- _Butterfree sputtered, trying to think of a counter argument. When nothing came to mind he sighed. _Look, just be careful, okay? _

_I'll be fine, _Sky Painter reassured him. _Now get ready to go. _

Butterfree sighed again, took a deep breath, and dived into the water. His body wasn't made for swimming, but if he kept his wings back he could at least not embarrass himself in the water. Submerged, he peeked around the side of the rock

A purplish light shone overhead as Sky Painter did something by the cave mouth, probably a Psybeam attack. A blue and white fish-like pokémon with a yellow star on the top of its face shot from the waters by the mouth of the cave. Butterfree saw it jump in and out of the water multiple times. An orange pokémon with pincers and spikes on its head joined it.

He took the opportunity and swam low, passing under the fight, and then kicked up to the cave entrance. The bug-type hoped that they didn't have a second sentry further in.

The cave entrance became a tunnel with a wide channel in the floor. Butterfree swam up it, trying to keep low and to the side. Keeping his antenna down, he peeked above the surface and grabbed a breath of air. The tunnel led to a cavern further in.

A group of humans sat in a circle, maintaining equipment, preparing a meal over a fire, and one was fiddling with the large rack of cages in the back of the cavern. Inside the cages were limp and unmoving butterfrees. They must have been sedated, sedated so heavily Butterfree could barely tell that they were breathing.

_ Hurry up with that fire! _A pokémon called out from somewhere in the cavern. Butterfree turned to see who had spoken and saw a magikarp in a cage. _If you're going to eat me then don't make me wait! _

"Poor thing," one of the humans sighed. "But some idiot brought our supplies with us when we went hunting and now, you're our only option. Thanks a lot Jacob."

"Hey!" Another human protested, walking away from the cages he had been fiddling with. "It was supposed to be an easy job. Just nab a bunch of butterfrees from the mating flock. There wasn't supposed to be any danger."

"There's always some danger you nimwit!" The first human growled. "That's the first rule of business."

"Well, I'm sorry that I didn't know that there would be two trainers with artillery trained pokémon and a non-psychic scout there to stop us!"

_Quit arguing and eat me already! _

Butterfree decided to ignore the magikarp for now. If he could get the captured members of the flock out of their cages and wake them up, then they could make a break for it and pick up the water-type on the way out.

He crawled up out of the water, keeping the group of humans in the side of his vision and then crept low to the floor, to minimize both his profile and the sound of dripping water, sidling up next to the wall of the cavern.

Butterfree had thought his days of skulking around were over with after he had evolved. At least these humans weren't planning on eating him, unlike the unfortunate magikarp.

He held his breath again until he was able to creep around to the cages and hide behind them. The humans were too busy bickering and preparing to cook the magikarp to notice him. Butterfree let out his breath in a sigh of relief and then started to work on the next part of the plan.

The cages weren't simply metal wire boxes. Instead, they were complex electronic structures with wires running all over their surface and a faint white sheen or glow surrounded each cage. Getting closer the sheen felt familiar. It gave off a sensation that reminded Butterfree of the inside of a pokéball. The bug-type didn't know what was up with that. It was probably to stop the other butterfrees from escaping.

He couldn't carry all the cages so he would have to break them. Butterfree's brow furrowed in concentration as he focused on telekinetically breaking the wires and electronics on the nearest cage. The wires quivered for a moment and then broke. Circuit boards bent and then snapped.

Butterfree winced, looking over at the humans, but they were still focused on quarrelling with each other. He returned his attention to the cage. Breaking the circuitry had caused the sheen to vanish. But the pokémon held within hadn't woken up.

Butterfree reached out again, gently shaking the other pokémon. There was no response. He then reached out with telepathy instead. He pokéd the other butterfree's sleeping mind, getting a vague impression of sensations without thought, dream, or knowledge.

Butterfree decided to move onto the next cage. He tugged the wires apart and broke the circuit board in a quieter manner, but also was unable to wake up the occupant. He repeated the process with another two cages. On the third cage he accidently was too forceful with the electronics and it broke with a loud snap. A piece of the board clattered on the ground towards the group of humans.

The group turned to look at the source of the disturbance.

Butterfree flushed red. He sidled away from the cages, ducked his head and then charged forward! He barreled through the humans, scattering Sleep Powder from his wings as he did so. Men and women were bowled over, but they turned their falls into rolls and yanked off their shirts and gloves, getting rid of most of the Sleep Powder.

Butterfree lashed out with Confusion, knocking a woman prone, a pokéball falling from her hand and rolling away. The rest of the humans jumped back and threw their own pokéballs. White light blazed and then Butterfree had company.

There was a poliwrath, a tentacruel, a machop, an elekid, and several pokémon that Butterfree didn't recognize. There was a bipedal blue reptile like pokémon with an eggshell pattern on its stomach. There was a purple pokémon with gems in its eye sockets. There was a blue fish like pokémon with antennas that ended in yellow bulbs.

Butterfree gulped and then shook his head. _Well, _he managed to say, _might as well do my best! Let's do this! _

Before any of the humans could give a command Butterfree tackled the elekid. He knocked it on its backside and then flapped his wings to shower it with Sleep Powder. Not bothering to see if it worked, Buttefree darted off to attack the poliwrath.

The humans shouted orders, their voices overlapping. The poliwrath summoned a ball of white-blue light growing over the center of the pattern on its stomach. Butterfree had spent enough time around Misty to recognize an Ice Beam. He dove down just as the poliwrath fired and felt a chill pass over him.

He launched himself up, the machop smashing the ground behind him where he had been fractions of a second ago. Chips of rock from the shattered cave floor bounced off his back and wings as he blitzed towards tentacruel. A stream of stingers from the poison type sped to meet him. Butterfree rolled out of the way, changing course to attack the blue pokémon with the antenna.

The antenna rose and Butterfree had a sudden flashback to what he had heard from Bulbasaur after Surge's gym. He shot upwards and electricity crackled under him. The bug-type rolled and pushed off the cave ceiling, shooting back down at the blue pokémon.

Rock cracked behind him again and Buterfree curled up on instinct. Pain flared in his side as something glanced off of him, spinning the bug-type around. Butterfree flared his wings and glided to a landing, rolling again as his hairs stood on end. Yellow and blue light intermingled, electricity crackled and ice creaked as two attacks converged where Butterfree had been.

Butterfree jumped back into the air, lashing out with Confusion as the machop dashed at him. A faint purple glow enveloped the fighting type as he was bombarded with a series of weak telepathic and telekinetic waves. It tripped and fell flat on its face.

As he did that, the rest of the poacher's personal pokémon formed a semi-circle in front of Butterfree. He ended up with his back to the wall. They slowly advanced, attacks charging, leaving no room for Butterfree to escape. The machop picked itself up and shook its head.

Butterfree gulped. At least he'd given it his best!

_That's it! _Everyone paused as the magikarp, who had been lying with the discarded cooking utensils and fire suddenly shouted. _If you're not going to hurry up and eat me then you can kill me in battle! _It threw itself at the back of the tentacruel's head…. Only to bounce off without doing much to the tentacruel.

The tentacruel slowly shook its head, giving the magikarp a pitying look. _We'll deal with you later. Now, let's hurry up and finish this! _

Butterfree had used the moment while everyone was distracted by the magikarp to quickly form a telekinetic defense. Ice, electricity, needles, water, and ghostly power lanced out. The barrier shattered like a thin ceramic plate. But it bought Butterfree just enough time to slip out of the way. The attacks converged on the cave wall behind him and there was an explosion, smoke billowing out and engulfing Butterfree.

He took the shot and threw himself towards what he hoped was safety. He burst out of the cloud, bits of smoke trailing from him, winging it towards the exit-

The machop grabbed his foot and slammed him to the cave floor. Butterfree let out a gasp of pain. The poliwrath was quick to follow up with a punch to the face and Butterfree's world exploded into stars. His face and the back of his head become throbbing poles of pain that dominated his senses and he went limp.

_Finally caught him, _Butterfree heard the machop say. There was a tug on his foot and he was pulled along the cave floor. Butterfree groaned and tried to push through the throbbing pain and stars. His vision cleared and he was able to see that he was being dragged towards the cages.

_Unhand him! _The magikarp shouted, throwing itself at the machop's face. The fighting-type just ignored it, letting the water-type flail ineffectually against it.

"Now we can finally make dinner?" One of the humans said as they walked back to their previous position.

"First we've got to secure the newest capture," another said, getting out a syringe. "I'll just sedate him. Poli, would you hold him down for me?"

_Certainly, _the poliwrath said. Butterfree tried to yank his foot free before the poliwrath could grab him too, but the machop's grip was made of iron. White hands closed around the top of his torso and Butterfree couldn't get them off-

There was a slight rumbling from the cave ceiling. Everyone looked up. The sound vanished as quickly as it had arrived. The poachers and their pokémon stared up for another moment, waiting to see if it would happen again, before resuming their activities.

Butterfree saw a small crack grow on the wall as he was dragged closer to the cage. His captors didn't see it.

That's why, when the wall exploded outward, and Onix bellowed as he charged forth, Butterfree was able to hit both the machop and the poliwrath with a Confusion attack. They lost their grip and Butterfree rolled away.

_Get away from Butterfree! _Electricity crackled as Pikachu shouted. People and pokémon alike screeched in pain.

"Butterfree!" The bug-type in question looked up just in time to see his trainer sprint out to him, a potion in one hand, Butterfree's pokéball in the other. Primeape and Pikachu followed Ash.

Onix roared and there were the sounds of battle behind Ash. But the boy paid it no mind, instead proceeding to spray the potion all over Butterfree.

"Pikachu, Thunder Wave when you can," Ash ordered, not looking up from Butterfree. "Primeape, keep them away from us."

_Got it!_

_ On it!_

_ Ouch, ouch, ouch, that stings, _Butterfree whined as Ash applied the potion.

_ Quit complaining, _Ash growled. _This is because you were reckless!_

_ What did I do that's so reckless? _Butterfree asked, squirming under the stinging potion.

_When you flew off to go attack a bunch of poachers by yourself, _Ash said, finishing up and looking Butterfree over again.

_I wonder where he learned that from, _Pikachu muttered, crossing his forelimbs.

_What's that supposed to mean? _Ash asked sharply.

_Nothing, nothing, _Pikachu said, turning his attention back to the fight.

_Thanks for the potion, _Butterfree said, fluttering back into the air. _What's the plan?_

* * *

At Butterfree's question, Ash looked over the fight in the cavern as he thought over how to answer. It was chaos with people and pokémon everywhere, scattered supplies, a rack of potential hostages, and, for some reason, a magikarp flopping around on the floor.

Onix, Brock, and Geodude were currently battling with the poachers' pokémon. Onix found itself constrained by the tight confines of the cavern and was only halfways in the hole he had dug into the cave wall, striking out and retracting. Most of the poachers' pokémon were forced to try and defend their trainers, blasting at the stone type with torrents of pressurized water and streams of icy power that failed to find the stone snake.

Geodude was brawling with the machop, a close combat match that left small craters in the rock walls and floor, a frantic tangle of limbs where Geodude was barely able to stay one step ahead of the machop and its type advantage, while keeping the fighting-type between it and the water-types.

"Primeape!" Ash called out. "Go get the machop! Butterfree, help Onix! Confusion and Sleep Powder! Don't get close!"

_What should I do? _Pikachu asked, his cheeks sparking as he looked around.

_Stay by me and get ready for something big, _Ash told him.

* * *

Primeape launched himself at the machop, smashing it with a flying kick. It sailed over the cave floor and then smashed into the opposite wall.

_Thanks! _Geodude said. _I'm going to go help Brock and Onix. Do you think you can handle it? _

_ Go on, _Primeape said, watching as the machop picked itself out of the rock. _This one's for me!_

Geodude ran off on its hands to go help its comrade and trainer. The machop silently launched itself at Primeape, coming in for a jumping overhand blow that could shatter stone. Primeape kicked at its knees, but the machop abandoned its overhand blow and countered with its own kick, the two kicks colliding and the two pokémon pushing off each other, sliding and flying apart.

The machop charged again, sliding in and aiming a kick at Primeape's ankles, with a turn as smooth as still water, lashing out with blinding speed. Primeape jumped the kick, glove like hands snapping out at the machop's head as it slid by, only to be grabbed by the wrist and pulled to the ground, as the machop skidded to a stop and spun around to squarely face Ash's fighting-type.

Blows were exchanged, too many for any watching human to count, grapples being broken and established constantly, flying fists being parried, kicks aimed at the other's legs and sidestepping kicks aimed at their own. The cave floor was torn up by their exchange, divots in the rock appearing all around them as chips of stone went flying.

Primeape disengaged, dashing off like he was going to attack the poachers themselves. He heard the machop chase after him. Primeape spun around on the spot and launched himself back at the machop who was lunging for him with outstretched arms, getting inside its guard. He chopped at both of the grey fighting-type's shoulders, moving such that the full power of his body was channeled through his glove like hands. While the machop reeled back, arms flailing uselessly, Primeape swept its feet, leaving it hanging for a brief moment in the air.

Primeape smashed it with his elbow backed by his body, a small shockwave radiating from the point of impact, the center of the machop's chest. It was blasted back, a grey bullet, and exploded into the cave wall opposite the cages.

_Yeah! _Primeape pumped his fist in exhilaration. _Take it! _

His celebration was ruined by two simultaneous events. The machop rocketed back at him from the cave wall and there was a sudden creaking as pain, cold as the depths of winter, engulfed his fist. Primeape groaned, tucking the pained limb to his chest, and then rolled under the machop's axe kick that cratered the floor.

He looked down and saw that his hand was engulfed in ice. It burned with cold and the agony started to radiate up his arm, even as his hand was going numb from the chilling agony-

Sharp pain bloomed in the back of his head and Primeape's vision briefly went white. He felt himself going flying. His vision returned just in time for him to land on his feet, spin around, and then slide back first into the wall, frozen arm still cradled against himself.

The machop was on him right away. Primeape ducked and dodged, letting himself take a piledriver kick to the side in order to get around the machop. He spun around, head throbbing, side burning, and launched his own series of kicks at the machop. Another rapid exchange of blows ensued until foot met fist and the two were sent sliding away from each other.

Primeape fell to one knee, panting, new bruises on his face and body. Electricity buzzed behind him as Pikachu and the blue water-type with antenna exchanged attacks. Onix roared, water rushed, and there were cries of pain as Brock's fight continued.

Primeape looked the machop in the eye. It was standing straight and tall. Primeape could see the bruises he had left on it, but they weren't enough. He was going to need to get Ash to send backup. He couldn't-

_You won't eat me, you won't kill me, and now you're ignoring me! _The magikarp flopped off the floor, throwing itself at the machop's face. The enemy fighting-type casually backhanded it away and it went flying at Primeape.

Ash's pokémon caught the water-type by the tail. Primeape looked at the magikarp in his hand in astonishment for a brief moment. It was all the distraction the machop needed to hurl itself back at Primeape.

Acting on instinct, Primeape lashed out with the hand holding magikarp, the water-type going rigid in his grip. With a wet sounding slap, Primeape struck the machop across the face with the magikarp. Its head was spun to the side and it staggered and twirled back.

_Take that! _Magikarp shouted, pointing himself at the machop. _Let's get them! _

Primeape didn't need to be told twice. He leapt forward as the machop turned back around, smashing down at it with the water-type in his grip. The machop blocked with both arms crossed, wincing at the impact, and then its eyes bulged as Primeape's foot caught it in the gut. It let out a grunt and doubled over. Primeape seized the opening, smashing down with the magikarp on the back of the machop's head with all of the strength in his arm.

The machop was driven face-first into the ground like a nail, the impact cracking the rocky floor beneath it. It went limp, and as Primeape watched, it didn't move again.

Primeape let out a sigh and sat back on the floor, wiping his brow with the hand holding the limp magikarp, eyes closing as the fighting-type relaxed.

_Thanks a lot, _he said to the water-type in his hand. _You were a lifesaver there. _

There was no response.

_I doubt I could have beat them with my hand frozen like this, _Primeape continued, eyes still closed.

Still no response.

_ It was real nice of you to hit them in the face for me like you did, _Pimeape went on. _It really helped. _

Silence still.

_Okay, what's- _Primeape began to say, opening his eyes, only to see that the magikarp was limp in his hand.

_ Oh no! _Primeape cried out, holding the other pokémon close. _I killed you! I killed you! Damn my temper! When will I have caused enough damage? I'm a monster! A monster I say! _

_ Ugh…. _The magikarp groaned in a weak voice.

_I've killed this innocent pokémon! _Primeape shouted to the heavens above, or at least the cave ceiling above, holding the magikarp above his head. _No, I've killed a comrade! I'm the worst of the worst! Giratina, take me now! _

_ I'm- I'm not dead, _the magikarp managed to croak out in a weak voice. _Though-_

_ A monster! _Primeape wailed, accidently dropping magikarp to the hard ground. There was a small thud as the water-type's head met the ground and then the magikarp passed out.

* * *

Butterfree drove the poliwrath and the blue electric/water type back with showers of glittering Sleep Powder. Pikachu lashed out at the reptilian the water-type with the eggshell pattern forcing it to retreat with whips of electricity. Geodude pummeled the elekid and Onix was striking everywhere, herding the poachers and all their pokémon towards the cave entrance.

Wind roared and the orange pokémon with pincers and the fish-like pokémon with a star on the top of its head came flying into the cave. Ash heard Pidgeot call from outside, saying, _We're clear on this end! _

"We're ready!" Ash shouted to Brock.

"Onix, now's the time for Rock Tomb!" Brock ordered.

Onix snapped back, retracting into the cave wall. The ground shook, and Ash stumbled, trying to stay on his feet. The poachers and their pokémon were similarly affected. With a series of loud cracks, the ceiling broke and chunks of rock fell all around the poachers and their pokémon, driving them into the water and trapping them in a ring of stone.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out when the enemy was in position. "Thunderwave!"

_You're all mine now! _Pikachu shouted, electricity buzzing around him. Large rings of yellow power flew from him, crackling as they swept into the poachers and the water. People and pokémon screamed, limbs jerked and then locked into stillness, and everyone caught in the attack fell over, paralyzed.

"Ha! We did it!" Ash crowed, but Brock shook his head.

"Onix, Geodude, make sure that there aren't any stragglers or sentries we missed," the former gym leader told his pokémon. "Aaron, get Butterfree, Pidgeot, and Squirtle to look outside. We don't want to miss someone. It's going to be hard enough to secure them without worrying about them getting outside help."

"Oh, fine," Ash replied, slumping. "Butterfree, can you go tell Pidgeot and Squirtle to look for anyone we missed outside?"

_Sure! _Butterfree said, fluttering over to the exit. _I think there's something I should- SKY PAINTER! I need to see if Sky Painter's okay! _And with that the bug-type sped away.

"Thank goodness I was prepared to do some climbing," Brock said, pulling a large length of rope from his backpack. "Aaron, just stay here while I secure these lowlifes."

"Sure," Ash said while Brock started his task. The pokéraised boy sighed, shrugged, and began to meander around the cave. He caught sight of Primeape sobbing on his knees next to a magikarp. Ash also noticed the frozen limb and hurried over.

_Ugh, _he said kneeling down next to the fighting-type and rummaging through his backpack. _Don't tell Misty this, but it was a good thing she nagged me into buying some Ice-Heals._

_ Yes, you should listen to the other humans more often, _Pikachu said, following Ash. _Especially in regards to the matter of my adorableness. _

_ No thanks, _Ash said, rolling his eyes, before turning his attention back to Primeape. _Let me see your arm. _

_ No, don't waste medicine on me. I'm a monster! _Primeape sobbed. _I've killed this poor, innocent, magikarp! _

Ash looked at the magikarp, noting the rise and fall of its sides, and then looked back at Primeape.

_Uh, Primeape-_

_ A monster! You should lock me up in a pokéball for the rest of time! I should be buried under a mountain. And if such a thing isn't enough, then I should be cast into the Distortion! _

_ Primeape-_

_ I am the worst! I am irredeemable! I used him to smash the machop and now he's dead!_

_Primeape, _Ash said, rolling his eyes. _The magikarp's alive. _

_ Wait, he is? _Primeape's tears instantly stopped.

_He's just knocked out, _Ash said, spraying the Ice Heal on the fighting-type's frozen limb. The ice dissolved and Primeape's hand was free, though frostbitten and red. Ash followed up with a potion and the limb began to look normal again.

_Can we make sure he's alright? _Primeape asked, looking at the magikarp.

_Sure, _Ash replied. _We'll put him in a pokéball so he can rest, we'll get him to a pokémon center later, and then we'll ask him what he wants to do after that._

_ Oh good, _Primeape wiped his brow.

_ Speaking of which, I think you should rest, yourself, _Ash said, holding up Primeape's pokéball. _Return. _

Primeape vanished with a flash of red light. Ash then caught the unconscious magikarp in another pokéball.

_Ash, be honest, did you have him join the team so that you'd have someone to feel smarter than? _Pikachu asked once Primeape had vanished.

_Be nice to him, _Ash said. _He's trying. _

_ But not succeeding._

Ash sighed.

The boy loitered for a quarter an hour, while Brock worked. Then Pidgeot and Squirtle returned from their search.

_We didn't find anything, boss, _Squirtle said with a mock salute.

_Where's Butterfree? _Ash asked after shooting a quick glance at Brock out of the corner of his eye. The former gym leader had just finished returning all the pokémon to the poacher's pokéballs and had started to tie up the now unconscious humans.

_He took off with that pink pokémon, _Pidgeot told him.

_I wonder what they're up to, _Ash pondered aloud. Squirtle and Pidgeot looked at each other while Pikachu slapped himself on the forehead.

_Ash, do you remember the whole reason we're here in the first place? _Pikachu said.

_Yeah, Butterfree needed to- oooooohhhhhh… _Ash looked out towards the cave exit. _So he's-_

_ Yes. _

_ And then they'll-_

_ Correct. _

_ So, he shouldn't be so grumpy when he gets back? _Ash said. _Well, at least that's dealt with. _

_ Too bad we don't have such a convenient method for Pikachu, _Pidgeot commented.

_Hey!_

* * *

_I didn't know you were into this, _Butterfree, staring up at the winter sunset.

_Mating is one thing. Cuddling is another, _Sky Painter said, cradling Butterfree between her wing and body, tucking his head in under her chin. _I love cuddling. _

They lay on the top of one of the cliffs by the cave, pillowed in the tall grass.

_ Doesn't everyone? _Butterfree asked, snuggling closer.

_Some beings don't like being touched, _Sky Pointer told him.

_ Oh, I guess, _Butterfree said and then yawned. _I should probably go back before my trainer starts wondering what happened to me. _

_Stay for a bit longer, _Sky Painter said. _There's something I want to try. _

_ Oh? _

_ #Can you hear this? # _Butterfree heard her voice in his head.

_I could! _He said, sitting up in excitement.

_Wait, no lay back down- _

_ That was awesome! _Butterfree fluttered into the air, turning around to face her. _I didn't think we could do that! _

_ It's not easy, _Sky Painter sighed and then slowly picked herself up and got into the air. _It's easier to do it with someone that you've mated with. _

_ Let me try! _Butterfree exclaimed. He bent his focus, reaching out to the now familiar feel of Sky Painter's mind. #_Can you hear me? #_

_#Yes #_ Came the reply in his own head.

_#This is so cool! # _Butterfree said, wings flapping excitedly. _#Do you know how far apart we can do this? # _

_ #As long as I'm with the flock and as long as we both want to keep doing this, then there's no limit, # _Sky Painter told him. _#We'll be able to talk even if we're on opposite sides of the world. #_

_ #Too bad we couldn't do this before we went into the cave. # Butterfree replied._

_ #I had my hands full with that water-type. # _Sky Painter replied with a mental shrug. _#By the way, why haven't my flockmates been released? #_

_ # They were drugged. # _Butterfree told her. _# They're probably still asleep. #_

_ # I think I should go get the rest of the flock to take care of them. # _Sky Painter said with a sigh. _#We'll just carry them until they wake up. #_

_ #So, this is goodbye then? # _Butterfree asked, slowly fluttering over.

_#I guess it is. # _Sky Painter fluttered over to meet him. They touched foreheads. _#But we'll be able to talk whenever we want, no matter how far apart we are. #_

_ #Good. Then I'll talk to you later. # _Butterfree smiled. _# Say hi to the eggs for me. #_

_ #I will. Talk to you later. # _Sky Painter smiled back. _#And stay out of trouble. #_

_ I'm travelling with the wrong human, then._

* * *

Ash and Brock sat on the cliff, next to a small fire, Pikachu snoring next to Ash. Nearby Onix lay curled around the tied-up poachers. A patch of recently dug up earth marked where the pokéballs had been buried by Geodude, who was now resting in his pokéball.

The cages that held the butterfrees had also been brought up just in time for the rest of the flock to arrive and carry away their captured brethren. Now they lay scattered and empty. The flock had gone back to cliffs it had occupied before. No doubt it would depart for the tropical hatching grounds in a few days' time.

"What was with those cages?" Ash asked as the older male worked on cooking something quick and simple. "Why were they complicated and, uh... glowy?"

"How familiar are you with the technology behind pokéballs?" Brock asked, flipping some slices of meat.

"Uh... aren't they just based on apicorns?" Ash said with a shrug. "Like a substitute material?"

"For the last century they've used the same basic principles, but in a very different way than apicorn balls." Brock told him. "There are all sorts of moving parts in modern day pokéballs. Those cages are basically just pokéballs without the miniaturization. Poachers and thieves like them because they're cheaper than high quality pokéballs and you don't need a special pokéball lock to stop the pokémon from escaping."

"That's-" Ash's face twisted into a grimace at the thought of pokémon being kidnapped and trapped, stuck in a cage. Pokémon taken from their home by violence and trickery, pokémon hunted-

He dropped the line of thought he realized where it was going. He and Brock sat in silence for a while longer before Ash spoke up again.

"So how long until those rangers come?" Ash asked as the former gym leader continued to cook. "And how long until Misty calms down?"

"The rangers should be here in a day. As for Misty... well, it depends. Is she more mad at me for taking you into a dangerous situation or because she missed out on an ocean battle?" Brock mused with a small grin. "Honestly the fact that I'm not sure speaks to how responsible she must feel for you."

"Well, it might also be that we were going after poachers," Ash said with a frown, light by the dancing light of the fire. "We met after she tried to stop what she thought were poachers."

"Oh, great, more reasons for her to be upset," Brock said with a small laugh. "She'll calm down by tomorrow... I hope. Just be glad that we're not travelling with Matt and Maxine- some gym from Celadon City who really know how to hold a grudge."

"That would've only happened if they had been training in the Viridian Forest instead of Misty," Ash said, looking at the fire.

"Yeah and if it had been them, we might never have met either," Brock sighed. "It's funny, just how many things had to happen for things to be like this. I mean, if Team Rocket hadn't attacked Pewter City, I might have never have been free to go with you."

"And if it hadn't been for Professor Oak, I wouldn't have let you," Ash said, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Yeah, you were even more of a brat when we first started," Brock said, with another small laugh. "But, yeah, that was another thing that needed to happen…. Just like your choice to go around Saffron City….. and…." Brock trailed off while the food sizzled in the pan.

"Aaron, why did you decide to take this route?" Brock asked eventually.

"Because you wanted to show me-"

"No," Brock shook his head. "I mean why did you decide to travel along the southern coast to reach Fuchsia City?"

"I-" Ash opened his mouth to answer and then left it open as he thought. Why had he decided to come this way?

There hadn't been a reason. The thought, the urge, the desire to go by the southern coast had just struck him out of the blue. It wasn't anything unusual for him; Ash made a lot of his decisions based off of a whim or a sudden impulse.

"I- I think it was just 'cause I wanted to," Ash said finally. "I didn't have a reason."

"Are you sure? Because if we hadn't come down this way, then Butterfree wouldn't have needed to mate, and then we wouldn't have encountered the flock, and the poachers would have managed to kidnap a lot of butterfrees." Brock said, giving Aaron a serious look. "Just like how your decision to go around Saffron saved Aoba. And how you ran into Team Rocket in the Viridian Forest when you decided to go through there."

"Yeah…." Ash found himself unable to meet Brock's gaze and found himself staring into the fire. "Well, actually I sorta went looking for what was happening to the caterpies in the Viridian Forest. And that led to everything else."

"It didn't need to though," Ash glanced back at Brock and saw that the gym leader was still giving him a serious look. The pokéraised boy looked back at the fire. "Just like this didn't need to happen."

"I guess I **am **just a trouble-magnet then," Ash said, still not looking at Brock.

"Maybe," Brock said. "It's just…. suspicious."

* * *

AN: I'd like to thank Amationary and WaffleDogOfficial for beta reading.

Okay, and that's this arc done. I think I did everything I needed to/set out to do, but we'll see if I realize that something's missing after I publish this and have a minor panic attack.

People who read the earlier version of this story might notice a familiar face.

Anyway, I'll be taking another week off to increase the size of my buffer. The next chapter of Symbiotic will come out on the 28th of October rather than the 21st.

Dont' forget to review!


	46. Chapter 46

"Bad day?" Sabrina asked, reclining back on one of her couch's armrests as she read yet more documents.

"Yes," Atsushi groaned as he dropped his snow dusted coat and bag in the entryway leading to the living room. "Half of the departments were late with their reports and we had a big deadline coming up. I had to process six reports in three hours and then rush the results over to the other side of town to get it sent in time."

"Oh, you poor thing," Sabrina crooned, sitting up properly. "Come here," she told him, patting her lap.

Atsushi lay down on the couch, head in her lap. "Thanks," he said.

"You know, you could have asked me for a lift," Sabrina said, gently stroking his hair. "I could have teleported you there."

"I don't want to bother you," Atsushi told her, snuggling into her. "Especially since you've been so busy lately."

"That's considerate, but given how this investigation has been going, I'd like to do something simple," Sabrina said. "At least then I can feel like I'm actually accomplishing something."

"I'll keep that in mind next time," Atsushi replied.

"You know, you might as well tell me the rest," Sabrina said with a smirk. "You're not doing a very good job of hiding your thoughts."

"What? All my thoughts should be about how comfortable I am right now."

"Oh, I know exactly how comfortable you are right now," Sabrina said, her smirk growing. "But I know you had other reasons for not asking me for a lift."

"I don't want to get more shit about how I'm sleeping with the boss," Atsushi said with a sigh. "It's silly, I know. You're in charge of the gym, but not my department, so you're not actually my boss. It's just that… I don't know, maybe my coworkers are starting to hate me or something."

"I haven't picked up on any resentment towards you, so they're just teasing you," Sabrina told him. "Besides they're just jealous."

"I mean, you are a very-"

"No, I just mean of you in general," the nature of Sabrina's smirk changed. "Well, if they weren't jealous of you, they're jealous of me. I caught quite a few interested thoughts when people were looking at you in that dress that you wore to the festival dance."

"When did you have time to peep on people's thoughts? If I recall your attention, and your hands, were quite occupied that night."

"Well, I found a few seconds to spare," Sabrina said, her smirk becoming self-congratulatory, before a more normal expression reasserted itself. "How come you haven't worn something like that again?"

"Dresses fitted for men are too expensive," Atsushi said. "I'll follow your lead and stick with suits and tuxestuxes."

"Well, I can't complain about that either," Sabrina said, predatory smirk returning, walking her fingers down his chest and stomach. "It's nice to look at your-

"Th-Thanks," Atsushi stuttered, turning red. "Anyway, what are you reading?"

"A report on an incident that happened a few days ago, on the southern coast by Fuchsia," Sabrina answered, sighing and removing her hand from Atsushi to pick up the papers. "There were some poachers who attempted a mass capture of a flock of butterfrees. It might be related to the investigation I'm working on."

"Really? The one with the scientist and the caterpies?"

"Ye- Wait, how do you know about that?" Sabrina asked, eyes narrow as she leaned over his head.

"Love, you talk in your sleep," Atsushi answered, with a smirk of his own. And then his expression grew sheepish. "And, after hearing you talk, I got curious and looked up the publicly available information. I only know that there was a violent incident in the southern forests of Saffron and that Team Rocket poached some caterpies."

"Yes," Sabrina said. She tapped a finger on the couch's armrest for a moment and then spoke again. "Do you know the reason why caterpies are sometimes targeted?"

"Let's see, caterpies…. Uh don't they evolve quickly?" Atsushi said, starting up at Sabrina from his position in her lap. "And, uh, don't they become butterfrees?"

"Correct."

"And butterfrees have mild psychic potential. Not enough to be a psychic-type, but enough to work with?"

"Again, correct," Sabrina said, nodding. "If you need a bunch of cheap psychic muscle on the quick, it's easy to grab a bunch of caterpies and evolve them."

"So that's why you think the butterfree poaching incident is related to your investigation?" Atsushi asked. "Because they already tried going after the caterpies?"

"Once more you're right," Sabrina said to her lover. "Unfortunately, I don't think this incident is going to be of much use to me. If Team Rocket's involved, they contracted the job out to an independent group of poachers." She sighed and looked at the documents again. "And I **cannot **believe who was responsible for stopping them. When will that kid learn to stay out of danger?"

"What kid?"

"Nevermind," Sabrina shook her head, strands of black-green hair waving with the motion. "Just a kid that should have listened to a Jenny."

"Something I'm not allowed to know about?" Atsushi asked.

"Four for four," Sabrina said, smiling, fingers stroking his face again. And then she sighed. "But it's just- Well, reading about that, the kid and the incident, it doesn't help with this bad feeling I'm getting."

"What sort of bad feeling?"

"Not an actual premonition, if that's what you're worried about," Sabrina said with a small, wry smile. "Though I can't say that foresight has been of much help lately. Ever since that incident in Johto with the Legendary Beasts the future has been too chaotic to read."

"So, good old-fashioned human instinct then?"

"You're getting so many things right tonight," Sabrina said, gently pressing her finger down on the tip of Atsushi's nose. "Aren't I supposed to be the mind reader here?"

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Cheater," Sabrina said, planting a soft kiss on his forehead. When she lifted her head, her expression was pensive. "Something's coming. I've heard some of the news from the other regions. The most zealous cults of Kyogre and Gourdon have become criminal teams in Honnen. Johto's still reeling from their disaster. Team Galactic has been making more trouble in Sinnoh. And then there's whatever Team Rocket's up to, which is going to be big and it's going to be dangerous."

"I'm not particularly worried about that," Atsushi said, snuggling into Sabrina.

"Why not?"

"Because I know you'll be there to protect us," Atsushi said, a wide soft smile on his face. "You're not going to let anything happen to us."

He said it with such conviction that Sabrina didn't need telepathy to see his honesty. She coughed and turned away from his face, fighting to keep a blush off her own face. She didn't know what to say to such a thing.

She only hoped that she could live up to his faith in her.

* * *

_ I'm sorry, could you repeat that? _Ash asked, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

_I said that I'll stay with you, _the magikarp said, expression calm and neutral, speaking from his position on the floor.

Ash and his friends had checked into a nearby pokémon center after the business with the butterfree flock had concluded. Ash had given his pokémon, plus the magikarp, over to the on-duty nurse, a pretty man who looked like he might be related to the Joys but who didn't seem to have their last name. While his pokémon were getting a check-up, he hit the cafeteria with Brock and Misty.

After that Misty had found some movies that she wanted to watch on the lobby televisions, Brock left to go meet up with a breeder that he had made previous arrangements with, and Ash took the opportunity to collect his pokémon and sneak off to their room to have a private conversation.

After releasing the magikarp, Ash had sat down on one of the beds and then asked the water-type where it wanted to be released. And then the water-type had gone off-script.

_Didn't Primeape say the exact same thing? _Pikachu asked, peering down at the water-type from his perch on Ash's shoulder.

_I think so, _Ash replied, glancing at the pokéballs on his belt.

_You really-_

_ Shouldn't say that, _Ash rolled his eyes. _You've used that joke before. Anyway, uhh… What's your name? _

_ It's Magikarp, _Magikarp said.

_ Wow, that is an unfortunate name, _Pikachu said.

_I think it's common for magikarps to have names like that, _Ash told his starter. _Anyway, Magikarp, why do you want to join my team? I don't know if you've noticed, but it's sort of dangerous and you're not... well, built to handle danger. _

_ The danger is exactly why I want to join! _Magikarp exclaimed.

_ Uh, so you're seeking a thrill then? _ Ash said, head tilting.

_No, _Magikarp replied.

_To prove yourself? _Ash guessed.

_No. _

_ Uh, you decided to get stronger? _Ash said for his next guess.

_No. _

_ What is it then? _Ash asked, sharing a look with Pikachu.

_I'm just done, _Magikarp said, matter-of-factly.

_Done with? _

_ Life. I'm just done with life, _Magikarp said as calmly as if he was explaining why he was switching from one branch of a bank to another branch office.

Ash and Pikachu shared another look, one of horrified confusion. They slowly turned back to look at Magikarp, who's expression was as calm as it had been at the start.

_Um… _Ash rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out the proper response to what Magikarp had said, or if there even was a proper response to that sort of statement. _Uh… I… I try very hard to keep my team safe! No dying's allowed! _

_ Okay, _Magikarp said. _But you still get into danger-_

_ Life's dangerous, _Pikachu interrupted. _It's not like you can only find danger with Ash! There's plenty of danger in the wild too! _

_ I know, _Magikarp said, and this time there was a sad undercurrent to his calmness. _But it hasn't been enough to kill me. _

_ Well, you could have just let a predator eat you instead of bothering my trainer! _Pikachu exclaimed, getting between Magikarp and Ash.

_That would bring back too many bad memories, _Magikarp told them. _I'd like to die outside the ocean, doing something other than being hunted. I'd like to try and be useful for once. _

_ Well, do that on your own, _Pikachu growled. _You don't need to get Ash involved in your-_

_ If you join my team, _Ash spoke up, _will you promise to not try and die? _

_ What? _Magikarp and Pikachu asked at the same time.

_If you want to come with me, then you can't try and get yourself killed, _Ash repeated. _That's my condition. _

_ I can do that, _Magikarp said. _It's not like it will slow things down much anyway. It's easy to kill a magikarp. _

_ Well, it's going to be hard to kill a member of my team, _Ash said. _You have to accept that if you want to come with us. _

_ Okay, _Magikarp replied. _Does that mean I can come? _

_ Yes, _Ash nodded. _We'll start training you tomorrow. Is that okay? _

_ It's fine, _Magikarp said.

_Welcome to the team then, _Ash said, getting up and crouching down so that he could look Magikarp in the eye. _It's good to have you. I look forward to getting to know you. _

_ I hope not to be a burden, _Magikarp said.

_ According to Primeape you've already been a big help, _Ash said, rubbing the top of Magikarp's head. _Rest now and I'll talk to you tomorrow during training. _

_ Okay, _Magikarp replied before Ash recalled him, the water-type vanishing in a flash of red light.

_You're fine with having him with us? _Pikachu asked when Ash turned back to him, standing on the bed with his forelimbs crossed and an eyebrow raised.

_ Yeah, _Ash nodded. _You have an objection? _

_ I've got a few, _Pikachu said.

_I've got some ideas for things he can do that shouldn't make it harder for the rest of the team-_

_ That's not one of them, _Pikachu said, cutting Ash off. _ I'm worried about what he might do to you. _

Ash shrugged. _I doubt he wants to hurt me. _

_ He just doesn't care if what he wants hurts you, _Pikachu said.

_And I want to help him, _Ash replied. _Even if all I can do is help him get a bit stronger._

Pikachu sighed. _This isn't going to be good for you. _

_ Eh, _Ash shrugged again. _Neither is a lot of other stuff I do. Come on, let's go see what's going on outside._

* * *

The pokémon center was quiet for the most part. There were a few other trainers staying and most of them were in the lobby watching TV. There was a pair out back in the practice arena having a battle. Ash and Pikachu observed them for a while, leaning forward against a fence as a seel and a krabby exchanged water and ice attacks.

Eventually they were joined by another trainer who leaned against the fence next to them. Ash glanced over to see that it was a girl with brown hair-

"Leaf?" Ash asked, surprised. "Is that you?"

"Aaron?" Leaf asked, turning to look at the boy. "Wow! I didn't expect to see you here."

"Same!" Ash exclaimed.

_Oh, it's that person we met in Cerulean, _Pikachu said. _Who used to go to that prison camp you humans call 'school' with you._

"It's good to see you," Leaf went on. "What you been up to?"

"Well, uh….." Ash rubbed the back of his head while he thought of what to tell her. "A buncha stuff…. I was in the Fuchsia Free For All!"

"The big race?" Leaf asked, raising her eyebrows. "Wasn't there an accident this year where a pokémon went on a rampage and started an avalanche?"

"Yep," Ash nodded. "It was fun!"

"Uh…. I hope you're talking about the race and not the accident…."

"Hehehe….. of course," Ash lied, closing his eyes and continuing to rub the back of his head.

"Oh no," Leaf let out a small groan, massing her temple. "I hate to ask, but what else have you done since Cerulean City?"

"Uh…." Ash figured that she probably didn't want to hear about his fights with Team Rocket or the poachers. "I got the Thunder Badge and the Rainbow Badge!"

"Congrats!" Leaf said with a smile that swiftly turned into a smirk. "I'm missing the Rainbow Badge, but I'm one ahead of you. I got the Marsh Badge and Soul Badge."

"That's great!" Ash exclaimed with a wide smile. "I can't wait to get them too!"

"You're no fun," Leaf said with a little laugh. "You could at least pretend to be jealous."

"Why?" Ash asked, brow furrowing.

_'Cause it's more fun to tease you that way, _Pikachu said, jumping off the fence and onto his trainer's shoulder.

"Oh, hi there little guy," Leaf said. "Can I pet you?"

_Yes, you may pay tribute to my adorableness, human, _Pikachu said, crossing his forelimbs, closing his eyes, and nodding.

"Awwww, thanks," Leaf said as she reached out and gently scratched the top of his head.

_Ahhh… That's the spot, _Pikachu crooned, leaning into her touch.

"Didn't you have him out back in Cerulean too?" Leaf asked as she caressed Pikachu.

"He doesn't like being in a pokéball," Ash said.

"Oh," Leaf cooed at Pikachu, scratching under his chin. "Do you like spending time with your trainer? Is that why you stay out? Aren't you just adorable? You're just a cute pikachu, did you know that?"

_Ahhh… Yes, praise my cuteness human! Praise it! _

"Oh, he knows people find him cute," Ash said, rolling his eyes. "He knows alright."

"Well, that's because everyone must tell him that he's cute," Leaf said as she quit petting Pikachu and stepped away. "Anyway, do you have anywhere to be tonight? If not, I'm calling Gary soon, if you want to talk to him too."

"Sure!" Ash exclaimed. "Should we go now?"

"We've got a few minutes and I want to see how this battle turns out," Leaf said, turning to watch the two battling pokémon. "I want to see if I can't pick up on some tricks for water types."

* * *

Later Ash and Leaf pulled up a pair of chairs in front of a video phone. Leaf punched in a number, there was a ringing sound, and then Gary's face appeared on the screen.

"Well, well, well, Leaf- Oh, Aaron's here too," Gary smirked. "Ha! I-"

"Hi Gary!" Ash said waving and smiling. "How you been? I hope things have been great!" Gary just sighed.

"Hi Aaron," he said. "I take it that you still don't know what it means to be a rival."

"Yeah, it means we have fun together!"

_I can't tell if you're being this stupid on purpose or not. _

"I like his definition," Leaf said, pointing at Ash with her thumb. "So whatcha been up to?"

"Not only have I gotten my sixth badge, the Marsh Badge," Gary said, puffing up and smirking, "I've also been invited on a special tour of the Silph Corporation's facilities in downtown Saffron!"

"Nepotism. One of the perks of being Professor's Oak's grandson," Leaf muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Gramps had nothing to do with this," Gary said, glaring at Leaf. "Someone from Silph was visiting the Saffron Gym when I got my badge and offered me the special tour after seeing me battle."

"You mean they offered it to you after they learned your last name," Leaf muttered, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes again.

"It's obvious that you're just jealous," Gary crossing his arms and rolling his own eyes, in an unconscious imitation of Leaf. "Say what you will, but I was cool enough to get offered the tour, while you-"

"So, what will you be seeing on this tour?" Ash asked, leaning between Leaf and the video screen displaying Gary.

"I'll get to see their R&D labs-" Gary began, his hands falling into his lap as he turned his attention to Ash, but was interrupted by the other boy.

"R and D?" Ash asked.

"Research and Development," Gary sighed. "You know, coming up with new products and tech. They'll show me some of that and then they'll show me some of their upcoming products, the ones that aren't in stores or have even been announced yet."

"That sounds fun!" Ash said, turn to look at Leaf. "Doesn't it?"

"Sure, if you don't mind being used for advertising," Leaf said, looking to the side.

"I'm an awesome trainer," Gary said, smirking again. "There will be lots of advertising deals in my future."

"But now they're just doing it because you're the professor's grandkid."

"No, they're doing it because-"

"How was the Saffron Gym you two?" Ash interrupted again. "Was it hard?"

"Yes," Leaf and Gary said in unison and then shot a glare at each other.

"I had a gym trainer," Leaf told Ash. "But it was a tough two on two fight."

"I also had to go up against a gym trainer," Gary said. "Sabrina's been busy with something so she hasn't been able to do matches herself. I had to do three one on ones, and I was able to get a tie because Eevee was able to knock out an abra right as Foresight hit."

"Those psychic-types have really strong special attacks," Leaf went on. "And they have a lot of defensive moves too. But Koga's gym was worse."

"Don't remind me," Gary said with a shudder for dramatic effect. "I hate that obstacle course. And just finding it was a nightmare! We're in Kanto, our gyms aren't supposed to do trials!"

"Koga disagrees I guess," Leaf said with a shrug. "He thinks that it's important to educate trainers on tactics and survival too."

"Ugh, can't we save that for if we become League trainers?" Gary groaned. "Oh, and that reminds me, Aaron, I heard about your latest stunt."

"Already," Ash said, blinking in surprise. "That was quick. We only caught the poachers a couple days ago!"

"Poachers? I was talking about your little stunt in the forest!" Gary said and then groaned, letting his face fall into his hands. "How did you manage to get into more trouble since then?"

"Isn't that old news?" Leaf asked. "Your grandpa told me about that months ago."

"No, that was the Viridian Forest," Gary informed her. "This was in the forests between Saffron and Viridian. Aaron evidently got into another fight with Team Rocket, a big one this time."

"What?" Leaf shouted, whirling around to look at Ash. "When? How? Why?"

"Uhh…." Ash tried to think of how to explain it. "There was this village where a woman took care of pokémon and some guy that Team Rocket was trying to kill accidently went there and then they were going to kill everyone and take the pokémon, so we decided to help out, and then Brock and Misty decided to fight while I took everyone else away to a pokémon center, but some of Team Rocket slipped past them, so they attacked us on the way and there was this big fight, and we nearly burned down the forest."

"According to what gramps told me, you were also hurt badly," Gary said, clutching at the hair on the sides of his forehead. "Aaron, do you just go looking for danger? Because that's twice now that gramps has had to tell me to sit down before giving me news about you?"

"No!" Ash protested. "It's just, well, I guess I'm a trouble magnet?" He finished with a shrug.

"Aaron," Leaf groaned, massing her brow and the bridge of her nose. "You- You….." She sighed. "Look, just be careful in the future? Maybe you should travel with- wait, are you traveling with those people you mentioned, Brock and Misty?"

"Brock's the former gym leader from Pewter City," Gary told her. "And Misty's a gym trainer from Cerulean that he ran into in the Viridian Forest. Gramps asked them to go with him. They're supposed to be keeping him safe and out of trouble."

"Doesn't sound like they're doing a very good job of it," Leaf said, giving Ash an angry look.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed. "I'm the one who finds the stuff. They're the ones who try to tell me to get to safety while they do stuff. It's not their fault! Besides, I can handle myself, they don't need to protect me!"

"I'm not sure where to begin with that," Gary said, also massaging his forehead with one hand.

"Please tell me you're at least staying out of the news," Leaf asked, letting her forehead rest against her hand.

"I think so," Ash said, scratching his cheek with one finger. "I don't watch the news though, so I'm not sure. I know I haven't talked with any reporters at least."

"Well, that makes you smarter than another boy I could think of," Leaf said, giving Gary a glare.

"Hey! Those reporters were just looking to talk to local kids who wanted to be trainers!"

"Suuuuureee," Leaf drawled. "And I'm also sure that they were overjoyed to get some info from the family of a former League Champion."

"That had nothing to do with it! You're just jealous that they didn't talk about your math award!"

Ash sighed as the two began to bicker. He really didn't get why those two acted the way they did with each other.

* * *

After Gary and Leaf were done bickering, Ash talked with Gary a bit more and the two of them agreed to meet up in Saffron City for a pokémon battle, once Ash had gotten the Soul Badge. The three of them chatted for a little while and then they said their goodbyes.

Leaf and Ash talked briefly and then went out back to have a quick one on one pokémon battle, Squirtle against her spearow. It was a casual match that ended in a tie when both trainers agreed that their pokémon were getting tired. The two trainers discussed the battle for a bit while the pokémon traded jokes. And Leaf said her goodbyes, saying that she needed to hit the road early the next day.

"It was great seeing you!" Ash said waving his goodbyes.

"It was nice seeing you too Aaron!" Leaf replied, looking over her shoulder as she went back to the pokémon center. "Hurry up and get your badges, you hear me? I want to face you in the new conference in two years!"

"I'll be there!" Ash told her. Beside him Pikachu sighed as Leaf entered the center.

_Oh, why couldn't she have been my trainer? _He lamented, eyes seeking answers in the starry heavens above. _She seems nice, smart, sane, and most importantly of all, she appreciates how cute I am! _

_ That's because she can't understand what you're saying, _Ash said to his starter. _Trust me, she'd have a lot different opinion of you then. _

_ Pffft! I'm sure other humans would appreciate me more if they could understand me, _Pikachu said, crossing his arms and looking down his nose at the boy.

_Keeping telling yourself that buddy, _Ash said crouching down and holding out his arm. Pikachu scurried up the offered limb and onto Ash's shoulder.

_Oh, well, at least I'll get to fight Eevee again, _Pikachu said as the two of them went back into the pokémon center.

_Oh, you picked up her name? _Ash said, closing the door behind him. _When did you have time for that? _

_ We talked a bit during the battle, _Pikachu shrugged. _She was a fun fight. _

_ Well, we might have a rematch when we get to Saffron, _Ash said.

They walked back to their room in the pokémon center, only to find that Misty and Brock were turning in for the night.

"Aaron!" Brock said, a broad grin on his face. "You'll never guess what I got!"

"Uh….. some brushes?" Ash guessed, remembering that he had been to see a breeder about something.

"Nope!" Brock shook his head.

"Uh…. some books?"

"Guess again!"

"Ummm… I don't know," Ash said, getting out his hiking backpack and pulling out his sleepwear. Pikachu scampered off his shoulder and claimed a spot on the top bunk. "What else do you breeders need?"

"I got a pokémon!" Brock said, beaming with pride and excitement. "Suzie, the breeder I met, had found a great specimen of a vulpix when she was in the west part of Kanto and decided to give her to me!"

"I still think that what you really wanted was Suzie's number," Misty said, smirking and sniggering at Brock.

"Sh- Shut up you!" Brock managed to stammer out, before turning back to Ash. "Ignore her-"

"Why would you- oh, right!" Ash said, pounding his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Romance! You want to do romantic stuff with this Suzie!"

"Shut up!" Brock said, blushing and shooting a glare at Misty and then looking at Ash again. "You don't need to follow her example!"

"I thought you wanted to-"

"Do you want to see my new pokémon or not?" Brock said. "Because if you'd rather tease me, then I can just go to bed now."

"Oh, fine," Misty said, rolling her eyes. "Show us the goods."

"Yeah!" Ash said, eager to meet the new pokémon.

"Sure! Go Vulpix!" Brock said, gently tossing a pokéball onto the floor.

White light blazed and formed a pokémon, a small red pokémon with a fluffy tail that brought back a lot of memories for Ash. In fact, looking at Brock's new vulpix, it had a lighter, almost silver tinted, shade to its fur, a shade that brought back more memories than Ash thought it should. It was almost like- But, no, the odds of that happening-

The vulpix turned to him. Ash and the vulpix's jaws dropped at the same time.

_Ash? _Fire of the Forest Moonrise asked, standing before him as Brock's new pokémon. _Is that you?_

* * *

AN:I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.

Alright, so there's going to be another week off of releasing, so the next chapter will come out on November 11th, 2020. Between life and the next arc being a bit hard to write, my buffer isn't looking so hot. I may have to resort to a more permanent every other week release schedule, but I don't think it will come to that yet.

Anyway, things are finally in place and coming to a head, so the end of the first story is almost in sight! (And then of course there's the sequels... this is one area where Ao3 beats FFN for sure, with it's ability to create series)

For fans of the old story, yes, Magikarp is back! Though I will have a slightly different take on the concept this time around.

Don't forget to review!


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